PARENT’S DAY WEEKEND IN WASHINGTON DC

The 4th Sunday in July is Parent’s day. Every year Families 4 Justice, Fathers 4 Justice (F4J) and many other parental rights advocacy groups gather in Washington DC that weekend to network, advocate parental rights, and participate in seminars on parental rights issues. For me, the highlight of the weekend is the F4J march from the Capital Building to the Whitehouse.

Many advocates arrive on Thursday or Friday to visit with their congressmen and Senators. It is highly recommended to schedule a meeting with the Staff of the Senator or Congressman, and to make a thursday meeting, because Senators and Congressmen frequently leave DC, and return to their home districts on Thursday evenings if congress is not in session.  The purpose of the meetings and visits to the offices of the congressmen and senators is simple: to thank those who support the proposed Parental Rights Ammendment  to the Constitution; and to encourage those who are not co-sponsors of this bill to take the matter into serious consideration for immediate endorsement.  Meetings with the staff of senators and congressmen is always pleasant, courteous and respectful.

On Saturday there were 2 seperate groups; and 3 venues for the parental rights speakers and seminars. Families 4 Justice and a few other groups set up a stage in Upper Senate Park (USP), and this was called The Family Preservation Festival.  Several other groups set up a separate stage at the Capital Building Lawn, and this was called DC Rally Fest.  The Family Preservation Festival stage was set up breifly on Friday afternoon, and again by 10am on Saturday, and speakers transferred to the main conference room of the nearby Pheonix hotel after lunch.   The Rally Fest on the Capital Lawn went on all day Saturday, and featured a few singers with mostly contemporary christian music.

The Family Preservation Festival speakers were well-organized, and overall well experienced and professional, with the keynote speakers, such as Bob Norton, all well-known for years or decades in leading Parental Rights issues. The Upper Senate Park location had full shade, which was an important factor due to the extreme 90+ degree heat in Washington DC in late July.  The temperature at Upper Senate Park was about 15 degrees cooler than the scorching full sun  location of Capitol lawn.  The attendance at the USP exactly met the seating, and while there were not the large numbers in attendance we had hoped for,  the event had a jovial and successful atmosphere due in part to the appropriate match of the venue with the numbers in attendance.   Just after noon time the Upper Senate park event  broke for lunch, with many going to the very cool Food Court at Union Station, just 2 blocks away.  The stage was then broke down.  After lunch the Family Preservation Festival re-grouped at the Conference Room  of the Pheonix hotel, just across the street from Union Station. Seminar vistors were met with frosty pitchers of ice water, served in cut stemmed glasses, and the A/C was set to chill mode of about 65 degrees, which provided a refreshing releif from the morning events outdoors. Speakers were followed by a variety of small networking groups in the conference room area, that seamlessly transitioned into informal networking groups, dinner, and drinks at the Irish Pub adjacent to the Hotel Lobby.  Bob Norton emerged as the lead speaker of the seminar and lecture portion of the event, and it went smoothly, professionally and in a remarkably calm, restrained, and laid back atmosphere.  There were between about 30 to 40 guests in attendance at both upper senate park and the hotel conference room at any given time, which was a correct number to match the seating for both venues.

In contrast, the Capital Lawn event covered a few acres, which was vacant for most of the weekend, creating an unsettling atmosphere, like you get when you walk into an empty restaurant, or a ‘party’  where the room is so big and the guests are so few, that it has an unwelcome  feeling.    The few tables set up along the sidewalk, about 100 yards from the stage,  were so distant it was difficult to see if they were even connected to what was going on at the stage, which was mostly inaudible from the sidewalk area.  There were maybe 10 to 30 people at any given time stretched out 100 yards behind a small concrete wall along the sidewalk leading up to the Capital steps.  The extreme 90+ degree heat, and full sun of the Capital Lawn location quickly sapped the energy from anyone in this exposed location.  One positive note about the Capital Lawn event was that the temperature was pleasant after 7 pm to sunset at 9pm; and the backdrop of the capital building, and the nicely crafted stage could have provided an awesome opportunity to film a keynote speaker.

The F4J Justice March on Sunday was very relaxed, laid back, and loosely organized.  Like the other events, the turn out was not as big as all would hope.  The march began later than expected, and a few that had gathered for the march bailed before it started, while others dropped off en route. The pace was slow and leisurely, with many rest stops; and thanks to Russ Kessler’s, lots of cold water and soda from his rolling cooler. The slow walk and frequent rest periods were a fun time to mingle, chat, network and make new friends. We loudly brought our message of Parental Rights not only to the White House, but also to thousands of supportive spectators  en route.  While we did not attract much attention at Upper Senate Park, we certainly made an impression on the thousands that observed our march. A surprise rain gust had the F4J gang duck into the Natural History Museum, which turned out to be such an enjoyable excursion for the kids and others, we should really consider making a museum stop part of the Justice March next year. On a side note: we should also consider starting the Justice March much earlier, when it is cooler and to better accomodate those trying to get to work on Monday.  

 For the first time, this year, I stayed at a National Park Campground rather than a hotel, and this was remarkably one of the best parts of the DC Parent’s Day weekend for me. The campsite was clean and tidy, full shade; with nice bathrooms and showers nearby, a private BBQ grill and picnic table for each site.  The peace and quiet and serenity of nature provided a much needed relief from the more hectic and challenging issues faced at the festival, and a way to step back, decompress and recharge after each day’s activity.  For anyone who may consider camping:  I recommend investing in a good quality air mattress, a battery operated personal fan, and a cooler with lots of ice.  The cost of the campsite was only $16 a night, and it was only a 30 minute drive to Upper Senate Park.  For those of you with older kids, you should think about an old fashioned roadtrip and camping adventure next year, and the lifetime of fond memories you may keep from it.

The F4J Justice March was the highlight of the weekend for me because at some point in my battle for parental rights, I came to realize that it is almost impossible to rally others in great numbers, but that it is really only possible to do what you can do yourself.  When I was a novice in the movement, I was upset and angered at others for not showing up to events or doing as much as I would have liked. Over time I have come to look mostly at what I have been doing myself, and my regrets are mostly that I have not done enough lately, and certainly can do more.  The  F4J Justice March, like the Fatherless Day Rally, are annual events that I decided to support, so doing this gave me a personal sense of accomplishment, and overall I went away from the Parent’s Day Weekend in very good spirits, and well motivated in the cause for Parental Rights.

My sincere thanks, gratitude and appreciation to all who made 2010 Parent’s Day weekend events in DC a success. Hope to see you all in DC next year.