dads don't baby sit

c'babi
Originally uploaded by raquita.

A while back I told you guys that my favorite artist EVER was C'babi Bayoc. Well he still is. But I have had the pleasure of meeting him on several occasions, and have recently started being a little more active in my active appreciation of his work. I also have the honor of calling he and his wife friends, and neighbors. Which is an even greater honor than owning his work. They are wonderful parents, their couple is beautiful, and their family is awesome. they are the kind of couple we try to keep around to keep us honest, and aware of our life, they are like a reflection I use to remember, in general. He keeps a myspace page, and a blog and has taken on a great cause which as a black woman I hold very very close to my heart, the reafrimation of the black family.
so many media outlets fail to portray black families with the most essential peice, I beleive, in tact and active - the black father. Most are at best portayed as absentee breadwinners, glorified babysitters used only when mom has lost her marbles and sex is about to become a lost artifact in the relationship. and in reality while too many of our families are incomplete, there are so many fathers who are being daddy, and do so well. men like Jerry and C'babi (a father of three) give me hope everyday that we as a people will get better, that everyday, a daddy steps to the plate and makes a difference in his child and his womans life. I would like to give a quick side note shout out to Greys Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes for giving us a good look at a black man being the pig, committed like ham on last weeks episode.
anyway back to my point. C'babi is also at the for front of this fight and while is audience isn't as big as greys anatomy's yet, I have faith that it will be. He has started a new mission to show communities what men honoring their families look like, and he has started a new website called dads don't babysit, which showcases dads in their element as fathers. This is easily my favorite collection of his work, this father series, please stop by, if you know anyone with an abandoned building he is wanting to use the boarded windows and doors as canvas, so we can plant the right images in our kids and oru adults heads. Sometime I think we forget too. Shoot, I would abandon my house to have him paint on it - if Jerry wouldn't freak out about being homeless. so please send this information to any building owners you may know. And stop by his site, and leave words of enouragement and if you are feeling the mission, spread the word on your site as well.