June 15, 2025, the world stopped to pay tribute to The Father, who instilled values in us, flew with us, spanked us, and saved us. As always, social media was filled with emotional tributes, none quite as universal as within the hip-hop community, where the spirit of fatherhood was joyously venerated with much swagger and bombast.
From rap titans such as Rapsody and Royce Da 5'9 to classic groups like Naughty By Nature's Treach and E-40, those feeds were filled with shout-outs, reflections, and heartfelt nods to the fathers who held it down when the road was rough. Their posts were not the routine holiday greetings; they read like personal love letters addressed to the men who had set the stage for their journeys, a necessary reminder of fathers' significant role, even in the rapid world of rap and hip-hop.
But as we bask in these modern-day homages, it's a good time to take a step back and consider how Father's Day came to be a story often lost in the day's commercial hubbub.
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The origins of Father's Day can be traced back to the early 20th century and the earnest actions of one very special woman: Sonora Smart Dodd. In 1909, Dodd heard a Mother's Day sermon in Spokane, Washington, and was moved by the idea. She longed for a day to pay tribute to her own father, William Jackson Smart, a Civil War veteran who single-handedly raised her and her brothers and sisters after their mother died.
At a time when fatherhood wasn't often in the spotlight, Sonora lobbied for a day to honor dads. The first Father's Day was the brainstorm of Sonora Louise Smart, who in 1909 heard a Mother's Day sermon in church and proposed the idea of a similar celebration to honor fathers at the Spokane YMCA on June 19, 1910.
Despite its sentimental origins, Father's Day did not become a holiday that immediately captured the nation's collective imagination. Some scorned it as a gimmick to sell products, and it took decades of advocacy, including support from presidents and trade groups, to establish the holiday on the calendar.
It was not until 1972, when President Richard Nixon signed legislation enshrining Father's Day as a permanent national holiday, that it became more fully entrenched in the tradition of a typically American holiday observed annually every third Sunday of June.
But as we leap decades into the future, the holiday is an emotionally celebratory occasion in every community, evidenced by the outpour of beautiful tributes from artists who don't hesitate to share how much the men in their lives mean to them. Whether it's with emotional Instagram posts or poetic lyrics, there are many ways to pay tribute to the most important man in one's life. They all illustrate how the meaning of Father's Day: love, respect, and appreciation transcends time.
So, as you scroll through all of the tributes filling your feed, perhaps take some time to call your dad, tell a story, or simply say "thank you." Above the history and the hype, Father's Day is a simple, powerful invitation to respect the fathers who write our own stories.
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