**EDITORIAL**



Not until I became a mother was I exposed to fatherhood first-hand.

Having grown up without my father or any consistent male figures,

Father's Day was always just another day for me to reflect on life

without. Each year I would try to convince myself that, "You can't

miss what you never had," but even as a youth I understood that

what I secretly yearned for all those years was actually an intricate

aspect of my being that had been negated, neglected & unacknowledged

my entire life.



Unfortunately, in this day & age, we live in a society that accepts

the fact that many are growing up fatherless. But as a people who

claim to know the value of the black male, we must continue to support

& encourage our brothers to reach their full potential in all that

they achieve, especially fathering.



IN THE KNOW would like to honor all of the men who proudly accept

their roles as life-long parents. Thank you for your examples and

your dutiful contributions.



--Oriana lee