Fathers Advocates Network at ACFC Conference

Earl Henry Sholley

Fathers rights activists must work together in a coordinated national framework. That was the underlying theme of the American Coalition for Fathers and Children's (ACFC) National Shared Parenting Forum & Chapter Development Conference held in Arlington, VA, July 3 through Aug. 2. The conference was pitched as a great opportunity to network with other advocates from across the country, and it lived up to the hype. Kudos to ACFC President Dave Roberts, and Membership Director Diana Thompson, for putting together a first-rate conference.

The conference began with an open house at the Washington ACFC office Friday afternoon, followed by a wine and cheese reception at the Quality Hotel and Suites in Arlington. A number of authors were there for book-signings: Dean Tong, Ashes to Ashes... Families to Dust and Don't Blame me Daddy, Jeffrey Leving, Fathers Rights, David Knox, The Divorced Dads Survival Book, and Robert Seidenberg, The Fathers Emergency Guide.

On Saturday and Sunday the agenda was filled with diverse and interesting talks on relevant topics such as child support, joint-custody legislation, the trauma of false accusations, and how-to presentations for successful public events and demonstrations.

Dr. Warren Farrell, author of The Myth of Male Power and Why Men are the Way They Are, was the keynote speaker at the Saturday night banquet. Farrell pointed out that the latest research shows that not only do boys from age 12 onward benefit from being with their fathers, but those as young as 7 benefit similarly.

Other luminaries present included David Levy of the Children's Rights Council, Jimmy Boyd of Men's Health Network, Bill Harrington, member of the US Commission on the Family and Welfare, Richard Doyle, Publisher of The Liberator, Jim Cook, President of the Joint Custody Association, Carol Hopkins, Director of the Justice Committee, and writer/journalist Cathy Young.

All the major fathers groups from Massachusetts were represented at the conference. Ned Holstein from Fathers & Families, Paul Trimboli of FACT, Susan Leary of The Fathers Group, and yours truly from the Fatherhood Coalition. Jeffrey Leving, who is also an attorney from Chicago, made it official by announcing that Massachusetts is the worst state in the country for divorced fathers. We exchanged knowing looks.

Tom Rettberg, one of CPF's founders, gave a presentation on chapter development. Rettberg is the ACFC Regional Outreach Director and also serves on the board of directors.

John Maguire from the Fathers & Families News Bureau gave a talk entitled "Getting media coverage for your organization."

Mike Harris, alias Mr. Dad, made a brief appearance to generate interest and drum up support for his walk from the North Shore to Washington (see story below). Harris begins his trek Sep. 1 and expects to arrive in DC on Sep. 23.

Though the Commonwealth was well represented in numbers, energy, ideas, and exploits, it became apparent that in the legislative arena we lag woefully behind many states.

For example:

• Texas has a 42% minimum visitation law plus a fathers rights activist on the state Supreme Court panel, as well as very strong move-away legislation.
• Washington was the first state with a Parenting Act.
• Illinois has a very good joint-custody law.
• Oklahoma has a Family and Responsibility Commission, which actually discusses the importance of fathers.

In contrast, our first legislative victory, the Report Card bill, was more of a defeat because of the compromises forced by the battered women's lobby. Stu Miller, federal lobbyist for the American Fathers Coalition, said that it would dilute existing federal law and make it worse for some fathers.

We learned that senior policy analysts at the National Governor's Campaign are recommending divorce reform and a rebuttable presumption of joint custody. This could become a significant development, but not if Paul Cellucci or L. Scott Harshbarger claim the Governor's office in November. Equally significant is that there has been only a one-tenth of one-percent improvement in child support collections over 20 years - despite the Gestapo-like tactics being used by various state collection agencies.

The convention was exciting and exhilarating. I left with a renewed sense of hope for the future along with a new sense of empowerment that derives from the collective strength of like-minded people. ACFC did a great job, and I anticipate even better things at next year's convention. Hopefully, they will have a lobby day on Capitol Hill next year, something that Paul Trimboli and I did on our own on Friday. When all the fathers groups in America join together to reform this tyrannical system, nothing will impede our future progress. This convention reinforced that belief. I strongly recommend that all local organizations affiliate with ACFC.

Return to top