trailer for “dear daddy”.
“…you took the easy way out. you don’t even to stop by to ask her if she needs help, or to give her money for me. or to even check to see if i’m still alive. i need somebody there for me…and you’re not there.”
one of my homies (who has a great natural hair blog) linked me to this earlier today, and it just tore me apart; i cried almost the entire time. filmmaker janks morton is in the process of making “dear daddy”, a documentary that explores the issue of father absenteeism in the black community, and its effects, particularly on young women. these women are given time to write a letter to their dads, and are subsequently asked to read it for the camera.
i think the most powerful point was when the reader said she hoped her father would burn in hell, and that if he were to die, she wouldn’t care, or shed a single tear. but the entire time, she was crying, and after saying that, she wasn’t able to finish reading. that’s deep; that a person who abandoned you, who you hate beyond words for not being there, can reduce you to speechlessness, and uncontrollable tears.
often we think and talk about single motherhood and father absenteeism in terms of statistics and news articles, and forget about the real-world implications for the children of those environments. there is immeasurable pain being experienced by these kids. the more i see and learn, the more i realize how blessed (and ultimately, privileged) i am to have had a father who was always there, and continues to be. my heart breaks for those who won’t ever know that feeling.
The fact that I can’t even stop the tears from forming in my eyes. This is truly heartbreaking.
(via gician)
