Missing Daddy by Mariame Kaba

Author:Mariame Kaba
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Haymarket Books
Published: 2019-08-28T00:00:00+00:00

Finally, I see Daddy across

the visiting room.

His laugh to me is like fireworks, a

loud, colorful boom.

I run and jump into his arms

and he hugs me tight.

“Good to see you my little light

bug, always so pretty and bright.”

Author’s Note

I wrote this book out of frustration. In my anti-prison work, I’ve witnessed firsthand the ravages of incarceration and its impact(s) on our communities. Over the years, I’ve often been asked by caregivers, educators, and organizers for resources to help children with an incarcerated loved one to cope with loss, grief, and trauma. I’ve struggled to come up with good resources to share so I decided to create one myself.

There are 2.7 million children under 18 who have an incarcerated parent and over 5 million have experienced the incarceration of a parent at some point in their lives. In other words, 1 in 28 American children (3.6%) have an incarcerated parent. Thirty years ago, the number was 1 in 125. About 1 in 9 Black children and 1 in 28 Latino children have an incarcerated parent. More than 14,000 children of incarcerated parents enter foster care each year.

These numbers are staggering. As a result of the epidemic of incarceration, millions of children have endured traumatic separations from their parents. This has impacted their material conditions, their mental health, their school performance, and their overall well-being.

Each of these children has a story to tell, yet we rarely hear their voices in public. Many children cannot articulate their feelings of longing for their incarcerated parent and so they keep their anger, sadness, and fear bottled up. This book is my attempt to amplify the voices of children with incarcerated loved ones.

I am deeply appreciative and grateful to bria m. royal for their gorgeous illustrations which brought the story to life. I am also profoundly thankful to Jane Ball whose thoughtful edits helped the main character find her authentic voice. Thanks, too, to Hana Worku who came up with just the right words at the right time. Thanks also to Angie Manfredi, Eve L. Ewing, Kelly Hayes, Mandi Hinkley, Maya Schenwar, and Santera Michels for reading drafts of this story and offering critical feedback.

Finally, this book is dedicated to all of the children who miss their loved ones because of a cruel punishment system that does little to make our communities safer.

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