Father's Day
Sweet Magnolia honors Father's Day.
Can we get one thing straight? Today, we give thanks for our Fathers. Period. Full Stop.
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Some people will argue that such men are rare or that they do not exist. They blame the violence and other social ills of impoverished communities on the absence of black men in their children’s lives. They pretend as though single-parent homes are exclusive to African Americans and use this misinformation to make moral judgments about black women and the men who father their children. Not this Church.
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They paint all Black men with one broad stroke, as chronic baby-makers who abandon their responsibilities even before their children are born. And they paint the sons of these black men with the same brush, condemning them to repeat the mistakes learned from their birth fathers. Not this Faith Community.
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Today, we celebrate the gift of Fatherhood and lift up the men in our lives who make a positive difference!
"Decolonizing our Worship Must Include Discarding Lies That Do Not Serve Us."
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- Rev. Dr. Francys Johnson
Senior Pastor
BLACK FATHER SERIES | Absentee fathers” only seem to come in one color: Black. Though there are fathers of all races and ethnicities who have a minimal presence in their children’s lives, “absentee” isn’t used to describe most of them. This racialized term uniquely targets Black fathers, inaccurately signaling that they willfully abandon their children.
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In reality, data from the CDC show that Black fathers are equally as likely to be involved in their children’s care as fathers of other races. There is, however, evidence that systemic racism has taken many Black fathers away from their families and communities through mass incarceration and early death.
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This guide identifies inaccurate and biased terms and narratives that are used to undermine the success and well-being of Black families in society. These are terms and narratives that result in real harm: society unfairly judging and punishing Black families according to a set of rules that white people in similar situations are not held accountable to and society unfairly denying the recognition, care, compassion, and support that white families in similar situations benefit from receiving.
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