Why Fatherhood is Sacred

The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community organized the first chapter in the nation of the Native American Fatherhood and Families Association. In the past three years, hundreds of men have worked with this program and begun to transform their own lives and the lives of their families and communities. This work was begun by the humble efforts of Albert Pooley, a man of Navajo and Hopi parentage, and who labors with love to reach men who need to re-connect with their children.He is the executive director of the Native American Fatherhood and Families Association.

The men in this program have created a T-shirt with the name of their chapter on the front with a beautiful Native American design and on the back their simple statement of belief: Fatherhood is Sacred.Al Pooley told me that when he sent the men in his program to design the shirt, he expected the statement to be in small lettering on the front of the shirt. Instead, it came back in large, bold letters across the back of the shirt. He smiled at this memory and said these men had taken this message to heart, and that for them, the reality that fatherhood is sacred has become a moving force in their lives.