June 12, 2016
An Early Father’s Day for Children Whose Dads are in Prison
By Frederick H. Lowe
Congressman Danny Davis in the foreground with former Gary, Ind., Mayor Richard G. Hatcher.Illinois Congressman
Danny Davis in the foreground with former Gary, Ind., Mayor Richard G. Hatcher at the National Black Political Convention. PHOTO: Frederick H. Lowe
Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from NorthStarNewsToday.com
(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Gary, Ind. —-Illinois Congressman Danny Davis, on Saturday, June 11, took 60 children to the Sheridan Correctional Center, a minimum security adult-male prison known for treatment of substance abuse problems, so they can celebrate Father’s Day early with their dads.
Two busloads of children, parents and chaperones traveled from Chicago to Sheridan Correctional Center, which is based in Sheridan, Il., an hour and a half southwest of Chicago. Including the parents and chaperones, 117 people made the trip.
“It’s being called a Father’s Day celebration even though it is being held in advance of Father’s Day,” Davis said. Father’s Day is June 19th.
The children were allowed to spend two hours alone with their fathers and later the entire group will hold a picnic before returning to Chicago. Davis started the program three years ago because, “Black children don’t have much interaction with their fathers.” The Illinois Department of Corrections approved the visit.
Davis announced the visit on Friday during the National Black Political Convention held June 9 and 10 in the Genesis Convention Center. Several panels at the sparsely attended convention discussed mass incarceration of Black men and the increased imprisonment of Black women. Sixty-three percent of Sheridan’s inmates are African-American, 24 percent are White and 13 percent are Hispanic.
Davis and U.S. Rep. Andre Carson (D., Ind.) are cosponsors of the Julia Carson Responsible Fatherhood and Healthy Families Act of 2015, which a addresses a number of matters, including examining the important role fathers play in their children’s lives.
“Children with positive relationships with fathers—even if they do not live in the same household—have stronger mental health, economic success and academic achievement and lower rates of youth delinquency, school drop-out and teen pregnancy,” the bill states. It is in the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Human Resources.
The legislation is named in honor of the late Congresswoman Julia Carson, Andre Carson’s mother. She died in 2007.
Davis also is sponsoring another event to show the importance of African-American fathers. On June 17th Davis will host a Fatherhood Forum from 6-8pm at Christ the King Jesuit College Preparatory High School, 5088 W. Jackson in Chicago, Ill.