A Father’s Love for Justice and Humanity

I am so grateful to my father, Pastor Kacie Moore, Jr. As my father is a pastor, I cannot honor him without honoring his faith. My dad has lived a life of service. He managed programs at Samaritan Ministries for many years. Samaritan Ministries offers food and shelter to the homeless in my hometown of Winston-Salem, NC. Celebrating almost 30 years of sobriety, my dad has worked as a mentor to hundreds of people through his work as a counselor with the Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous programs. One skill my dad never learned: “How to say, ‘No.’” We all know that we can call upon him at any time for any reason. Almost 15 years ago when my husband called my father to share his plans to marry me, my dad was on his way to counsel an NA client who was well-to-do, but had fallen on tough times. The client was contemplating suicide. I am glad to report that his client is thriving today, and Julian and I are still married. We all received what we needed from my father that day.

When I completed my Ph.D. in 2015, there was no one more proud than my dad. I dedicated my dissertation to him. I wrote, “To my father, who is the epitome of goodness.” I am grateful that my father taught me how to love people and how to believe in the good of humanity. In all the craziness that befalls us right now, I am able to lift my voice and keep pushing forward because my father has always given us hope. In response to ‘the talk’ that many Black parents have with their children concerning their interactions with law enforcement, I wrote a column for the Winston-Salem Journal regarding how my Black son must navigate the world differently than his White counterparts. My father read the article in the paper and texted me, “Good morning my beautiful, awesomely blessed, powerful, young Black woman of God. I will definitely never forget that story because that is life, and you expressed your motherly wisdom with so much perfection. I love you dearly.” To my father’s text, I responded, “Thank you dad. I love you and thank you for putting so much love in my heart to be able to give back to the world!”  You can see what an impact my father has had on my life and the special place that he continues to hold in my heart. Now, I will leave you with my father’s words. For decades (and to this very day) his voicemail from his “flip phone” still says, “Hang on in there. If no one’s told you today, God loves you and so do I.”

I love you, dad,

Krishauna

http://www.cupofdiversity.com | Dr. Krishauna Hines-Gaither, Blogger