A 702-word article written by Calvin T. Mann, National Encourager and President and Founder of Good Fathers Only and EMIY Inc. Visit us at emiyworld.com.
PREVIEW:
There are many people who ask me if I ever get tired or discouraged about advocating for healthy fatherhood. I typically answer with a smile and say, “No. I will not stop until everyone knows and appreciate the value a father brings to the family and the community.” It is often an uphill climb in slippery dress shoes, but I keep moving and looking forward. I feel even if I reach one man, woman, or child at a time with my message I am still creating change that will eventually cause the ripple effect of change to happen.
There are still many people to take Father’s Day a bit too lightly. Not just the importance of the day as a holiday but what it took to convince the country to value the celebration of the holiday. It’s not so much about gifts and presents but truly about acknowledging his presence in a meaningful way. While Mother’s Day has a longer history as a holiday, there were 2 one women who pressed to make Father’s Day important. Their names were Grace Golden Clayton and Sonora Smart Dodd. I want to share a little bit about what I learned about the origin of Father’s Day in hopes that it will help you look at it differently this year too.
So, in my research I learned that the first known Father’s Day service occurred in Fairmont, West Virginia, on July 5, 1908. The source says that after hundreds of men died in what was called, “the worst mining accident in U.S. history”, Grace Golden Clayton, the daughter of a minister, proposed a service to honor all fathers, but especially those who had died in this tragedy. You would think everyone would agree immediately but initially it did not become an annual event. In fact, it was not even promoted and only a few people outside of the local area knew about it. In the meantime, across the country, another woman was inspired to honor fathers by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd.
