On Saturday 13th June 2020, Jamaine
Facey, Lee Russell, Chris Otokito and Patrick Hutchinson's lives turned upside
down.
Peaceful protesters all over the world
had taken to the streets to call for justice of the horrific deaths of George
Floyd and Breonna Taylor at the hands of police as well as numerous ignored
black trans fatalities including Riah Milton.
But this day felt different. Following a
terrorist threat from the former leader of the EDL Tommy Robinson, a sea of
far-right hooligans hurling hateful comments and aggression had flooded into
London.
As father figures, Jamaine, Lee, Chris
and Patrick felt adamant that they needed to protect anyone vulnerable who was
not met with peace. "We attended the demonstration in unity, with a clear
purpose to be role models, and to use our past life experience and wisdom to
prevent the young people in attendance from making foolish choices which could
so rapidly change their lives," says Lee Russell.
However, when they arrived at Waterloo
station, violence among the counter-protestors had already reached a boiling
point. Not only had the racist mob turned on each other, but innocent members
of the public as well.
One far-right protester slumped over on
the ground was deteriorating very quickly. Patrick picked him up while the
others shielded him, carried him to nearby police and as a collective, they
saved his life. Humbly retracing their steps, Patrick comments "As I was
carrying him, he was still receiving blows. It didn't cross my mind that he
might hold prejudices, we just wanted to get him out of there."
The unforgettable image of Patrick was
captured on camera and in a matter of hours, was circulated globally. By
morning the likes of CNN, The New York Times, The Guardian, and The BBC started
calling for interviews. But actions speak louder than words, and the most
striking element of Patrick, Jamaine, Lee and Chris's photo from that day
didn't require any subtext: it was that of a black man taking a white man out
of danger.
Speaking on the moment as Patrick
Hutchinson stated, "It's not black vs white, it everyone vs racism."
Jamaine Facey backed that up by
clarifying "We saved him to protect our children's future. Otherwise, the
narrative from the media on that day would have been completely different."
Off the back of the hype of The Waterloo
incident, 'The Fathers' have been in constant demand. Among many things,
they've landed multi-page features in Men's Health, exchanged words with
influential black leaders such as American Civil Rights Activist Al Sharpton
and were invited by Lord Dr Michael Hastings to the Houses of Parliament.
Having had time to reflect and digest
the trajectory of their seminal moment and the feedback that they've received
from the public has overwhelming to say the least. Not only have Jamaine,
Patrick, Chris and Lee been met with extraordinarily positive praise and filled
with gratitude but they've been catapulted onto a new platform.
They've clocked universal respect, but
their core values for CHANGE have not been diluted by the spotlight. In fact,
they've been ignited. Together 'The Fathers' have formed UTCAI - United To Change And Inspire.
Bonded by a common thread, Patrick
concludes "As fathers we just want things to be fair. We want everyone to
get the same shot at opportunities regardless of their race. I'd love to see
our young children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews have a better world than
I have lived in. And a better world than my mother and my nan lived in. We have
an opportunity to be heard, and we're going to take it. "