My name is Michael Paul Anderson. My friends call me Pres.

On February 1, 2020, I became the father of the most beautiful little angel, Gracelyn Trinity Michelle Anderson. Gracelyn is a priceless gift from God, and there's nothing I'm more proud of than being her dad. Being the absolute best Father to my girl is the most important role I have decided to play.

Since March 18, 2020, and the outbreak of the Coronavirus, I have hardly spent any time with my daughter. In fact, I have not seen Gracelyn or had as much as a FaceTime or been sent a picture since June 26, 2020. Although I have spent thousands in lawyer fees, therapy and finding balance to cope with being removed from my daughter's life, I have been unable within the means of the law to cultivate a bond with my daughter. 

My daughter's familial bond with me is the most important gift I ask God for this Christmas/Kwanzaa, and Holiday Season. The gift I will give this society, is to reform the American Family Court system, starting in Hudson & Essex County, New Jersey. 

The way the courts work, is that if a mother and father have a disagreement about custody or visitation, the system pushes each party to create as strong as a narrative as possible to make the other party seem like an unfit parent, even if not justified. The courts exacerbate adversarial relationships between parents. However, a lack of chemistry should not justify being systemically removed from a child's life. I acknowledge I am not the only person in such circumstance.  

However, in my case, someone fabricated a photoshopped email, pretending to be from my email address. Other claims were brought against me, but have been dismissed as fabricated and solely malicious. Though I have done nothing wrong, pointless motions have helped tie us up in courts for a year, in order to keep my daughter from ever knowing her father.

While it is supposed to bring about fair and just resolutions, the New Jersey Superior Court system has failed over the course of 10 months to adequately my case. It is unacceptable that the government institutions in place tasked with providing a fair and equitable outcome for our families and children are being used to force a parent out of a child's life.

In my Hudson County, NJ case, the video recorded from last Friday December 18, 2020, attached shows a typical example where the Judge on record, says someone in his chamber "made a mistake" with his scheduling. As a result, the Court had to delay my case, marking 9 months in time wasted. Such mistakes have gone on since March 18, 2020. Hence, my daughter is not able to know her father, who is desperately fighting to be the present Father Gracelyn will need for life. 

I share this publicly because all that matters is a healthy society and healthy relationships with our children. My daughter needs to understand what a man is. Only I can do that. I also understand that so many more are in similar positions, and we cannot live under the jurisdiction of authorities that systematically destroy our familial bonds. One's ability to parent his or her child in the most critical development stages should never be based on how well his or her attorney knows the Judge. As shown in my video, Judges can make mistakes in perpetuity. My counsel has indicated the court's "mistakes" are not unintentional, but punitive for my speaking out against a litany of socio-economic disparities in the State of New Jersey.

Moreover, the millions of other young fathers/mothers in similar situations, need laws and policies to shift immediately, lest our courts be used to perpetuate the destruction of our familial bonds and units. 

If you have a story to share, please email MikePhilson908@icloud.com. If you support what I'm doing for all children that needs their parents, for fathers, or any parent in a similar situation, please sign the petition. My bond with my daughter is something I would do anything for, and I consider this petition a last resort in acting within the confines of a system that clearly does not value my daughter's life or mine. 

Together, not only can I set a positive example for Gracelyn, but we can present a clear path for restoring justice in our communities and family courts. Strong families make a strong nation.

Thank you for acting. 

#GirlDad #BlackDadsMatter