Phil Ammann
For Father’s Day, Andrew Gillum believes a Florida Governor’s primary focus should be children.
In an email to supporters, the Democratic mayor of Tallahassee and father of three (including a one-month-old newborn) talks of the Maasai Tribe of East Africa, who “greet each other a little differently” than we do in America.
Traditional greeting for the Maasai is not about the self, but: “How are the children?”
Their ideal answer? The children are “doing well.”
“And I think that’s what we should be striving for here in Florida,” Gillum writes. “All of us want to give our kids better opportunities to grow and thrive in our communities.
As a father to “three incredible children,” Gillum is grateful that he and his wife R. Jai are “able to provide them with opportunities that I never dreamed” while growing up.
“I’m thankful that when I’m asked how my children are doing,” he says, “I can honestly say they’re doing well.”
But in Florida, Gillum says it is not always the case.
“If we were to look ourselves in the mirror today,” he writes, “we would have to admit that, as a whole, the children of Florida are not well.”
From persistent poverty, debt, unaffordable health care and a state that has “shifted resources from our public schools to private corporations,” children – and families – are far from “doing well,” Gillum says.
As Governor, Gillum vows to reinvest in public schools, affordable health care, and work to have Florida businesses offer workers a living wage.
“My goal is to be able to honestly answer that question – ‘How are the children?’ – with ‘They are doing well.’ – in every county and every corner of this state,” he says.
But running for Governor takes a little more than just being a good dad (while it doesn’t hurt).
With that, what Gillum really wants for Father’s Day is your support (and donations) to help him get there.
