Dear beautiful Black children,
I am writing to you on this Father’s Day to make a pledge,
to articulate an affirmation, to say aloud and unashamedly,
We love y’all too much!
We, Black men, who have against all odds and obstacles, still remember.
We still remember our sacred obligation and responsibility to you.
We still remember who we were and who we can still become, strong, proud, and committed!
We, Black men!
We love!
Yes, we, Black men love, still. Deeply, sometimes with tears in our eyes, trembling, knowing that our love has not always been enough to keep you safe.
We love on!
We love past our own pain.
We, Black men, love with our whole hearts even when they have been broken. We love!
We love y’all!
We, Black men, love, y’all, our children, our seeds, our hope, our innocence reembodied.
Y’all, our children, who gave us another chance when you opened your eyes in this new world.
Y’all, our children, renewed dreams of our better selves.
Y’all, our children, whose laughter and cries make our hearts beat different.
Y’all, our children.
We love y’all too much!
We, Black Men, love y’all, our children, too much.
Too much not to look for and find you.
Too much to leave you unattended and uncared for.
Too much not to wrap our arms around you and with an unhurried hug transfer our life experiences, wisdom, to you.
Too much not to put you on our shoulders so you can see your future better.
We love y’all too much not to protect your childhood, so you can go outside and play, again.
Too much, not to consistently guide you through word and deed, so that your dreams are not deferred, and your liberation is not lost.
We love y’all too much not to tell you and show you.
Love always,
Dad, Pops, Papa, Baba, & Unc
Mawuli Mel Davis is a founding partner of the Davis Bozeman Law Firm where he leads the firm’s civil rights division. Davis is also an African-centered civil rights attorney, human rights organizer, and author based in Atlanta.
