Photoblog Sets to Paint Fatherless Portrait

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Fathers Incorporated readies Faces of a Fatherless Nation

For ten years, Fathers Incorporated (FI) has traveled the United States and the world and has seen first hand the faces of fatherlessness. In Africa, where the rise of father absence is largely unrecognized, to Mongolia where the discussion of father absence is emerging, and even a recent trip to Malaysia where the conversation around the importance of fathers took front stage, it is clear to FI that the world cares about keeping fathers connected to their children and families.

“It is statistically impossible to know how many people are fatherless, yet indicators continue to prove that its impact is devastating, no matter who you are or where you come from,” says Kenneth Braswell, Executive Director of the New York based and internationally recognized non-profit, Fathers Incorporated. “Painfully, most of my time is spent dealing with the issue of fatherlessness in my own Black community; however, that fact does not create a boundary around my work. The issue resonates across socio-economic status; race, religion, gender, geographic and generational paradigms.

This idea came to Braswell after sitting in the airport. “I was watching people and wondering to myself, how many people who pass you everyday are carrying some measure of fatherless pain,” says Braswell.  “I decided I wanted people to see their faces in the hopes of bringing some measure of compassion and awareness to the issue.”

Faces of A Fatherless Nation (www.facesofafatherlessnation.com) is FI’s attempt at allowing people to see what the diverse face of fatherlessness looks like. FI also hopes that it will help others to understand that they are not alone in how they feel, and thus, begin to engage in some measure of healing.

The site will launch in mid-June; however, submissions for photos will begin on April 14, 2014. Upon submission of the photos, which will also include a short personal statement, our team will review and select powerful posting appropriate for blog. The project will also have partner photographers who will take on the task of providing the site with their personal contribution of fatherless photos.  FI is also seeking media partners and organizations who will help spread the word for submissions of photo stories.

“I have no other objective for the work other than to heal and inspire, which is what I pray it does. We will see where it goes, but based on my travels and experiences, I believe it will build a strong platform for healing to those who have been affected by father absence and help fathers and others to visually understand the pain and loss that occurs when these men aren’t meaningfully connected to their children and families,” says Braswell.

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