In memory of George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks, Eric Garner and countless Black fathers whose lives have been taken due to systemic racism and police brutality, Edeman helped Dove Men+Care launch Father’s Day Taken, a fundraising initiative that benefits children and families who have lost their fathers to racism and violence. We set out to do two things to turn the tide: Recognize Black men as caring fathers, a narrative often lost in the news-cycle, and alleviate the financial burden that families suffer when losing a dad. Within 10 days, we presented, sold and produced a film that showcased caring Black fathers and unveiled the pain felt when they are taken and revealing Dove’s financial commitment of $1 million investment through a Fathers Taken Fund and created a GoFundMe page where allies could supplement our donation. We partnered with the Cordale Q. Handy In Remembrance of Me Foundation to help identify the families who have lost a loved one due to racially-motivated violence, and to support those families with grants created from our $1 million commitment and the funds raised from our GoFundMe initiative. We also encouraged consumers to donate $5 with a customizable e-card that honored the memory of Black fathers taken they could send to their dads.
#FathersDayTaken sparked conversation across both earned media and social coverage, garnering 162 total earned placements that resulted in 61 million total impressions, appearing in outlets like CNN, PR Week, and Business Insider. On social, sentiment was overwhelmingly positive - 98% of organic social shared how important and meaningful this initiative was and 67% of all social posts included our #FathersDayTaken video asset – driving more awareness to our CTA and giving us the opportunity to help more families. This awareness has allowed Dove Men+Care to reach our most important objective – directly supporting those families who have lost a loved one due to racially-motivated violence. In less than 2 weeks, the Fathers Taken Fund raised over $11,000 in donations, and in combination with our $1 million commitment, over $200,000 has been distributed in grants to over 70 families across 24 states, directly supporting more than 200 family members to-date who have lost a father – or son, grandson, sibling, or spouse – to racially-motivated violence. Father’s Day Taken received a Shorty Award in Social Activism.
#FathersDayTaken sparked conversation across both earned media and social coverage, garnering 162 total earned placements that resulted in 61 million total impressions, appearing in outlets like CNN, PR Week, and Business Insider. On social, sentiment was overwhelmingly positive - 98% of organic social shared how important and meaningful this initiative was and 67% of all social posts included our #FathersDayTaken video asset – driving more awareness to our CTA and giving us the opportunity to help more families. This awareness has allowed Dove Men+Care to reach our most important objective – directly supporting those families who have lost a loved one due to racially-motivated violence. In less than 2 weeks, the Fathers Taken Fund raised over $11,000 in donations, and in combination with our $1 million commitment, over $200,000 has been distributed in grants to over 70 families across 24 states, directly supporting more than 200 family members to-date who have lost a father – or son, grandson, sibling, or spouse – to racially-motivated violence. Father’s Day Taken received a Shorty Award in Social Activism.
