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Black fathers,

We love you,  
We need more of you.  
Black daughters need their Black fathers.  
I can imagine how much different life could have been if we had each other a little longer.  
What I imagine is less suffering on both ends.  
Maybe you wouldn’t have had to consider shoulda, coulda, woulda’s,  
And maybe I wouldn’t need so much validation from my male friends.  
Maybe you wouldn’t have had to blame everyone else for where you fell short,  
And maybe I wouldn’t hate men for sport.  

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I know it’s a contradiction,  
To love and hate men at the same time,  
But that’s the relationship I had with you, no coincidence.  
You miss out on so much, and it’s too heavy on my mind.  

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I’ve learned that abandonment runs 3 generations deep.  
You had daddy issues of your own.  
As much as I am affected by mine,  
I know now that I’m not alone.  

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My daddy issues sneaking up on me the older I get.  
I remember being a young girl, yearning for your love and for your acceptance.  
How could you ever underestimate the power of your presence, the power of your voice, and your essence?  

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Dad, I needed you,  
But I forgive you.  

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Black daughters need their Black fathers,  
Our community needs our Black fathers.  
We need our Black dads,  
We love our Black dads,  
We forgive our Black dads.

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Ashanté Josey