'It means love': Buffalonians give their thoughts on Father’s Day

7 News reporter Yoselin Person had the chance to head to Martin Luther King Jr. Park in the City of Buffalo to stop a few dads, grandfathers, and others to see what Father’s Day means to them.

Dashawn Hill is a father of four. He says he’s grateful to be a dad.

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“There’s no better joy than being a dad and taking care of your responsibilities,” he says. “It’s simple. Fathers are important just like moms are important. Fathers lay a foundation on how a lady should be treated and teach our sons how to be a man.”

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“It means love. It means being with the family and being happy,” says William Payne, a Buffalo resident.

Others explain their meaning of what it is to be a dad.

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“Raising kids to be successful,” says Alfred Gianes. “It doesn’t matter what career field they’re in as long as we’re raising them for success.”

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“Back in the day for a Black man to raise a family was a lot of determination and a lot of things he had to do,” said a Buffalo resident.

Some say being a father is the root of a family.

“Being a father means everything you know. The father is pretty much the centerpiece of the family so when I hear about fathers,” says Pastor James Giles. “It represents family to me. It represents a powerful presence inside with a mom and children bringing them together.”

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“Being important as a dad means a lot because right now our kids are going through a lot,” says Kenneth Elliott. “A lot of parents are looking at kids thinking they’re benign bad, but it’s all about how we raise our kids and it’s really important because we lose our kids to the streets.”

Some even mention missing their dad.

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“Father's Day is very important to me. I honor my father that’s way above Heaven, God and I honor my father James who’s deceased. He passed away in 1978. I miss my dad every day without him, I would not be here,” says Linda Gibson. “I would think all people should have a reverence for the father that helped them get here. Good or bad.”