As the son of a single teenage mom, Jaime Harrison was raised by his grandparents in Orangeburg, South Carolina. Jaime knows what it’s like for a family to have to choose between paying the electric bill and putting food on the table, and what it feels like to go to sleep in a home with no heat, because the power was shut off.

But thanks to a good public school education, the love of his family, and the support of his community, Jaime was able to earn a scholarship to Yale University and attend Georgetown Law. After college, Jaime came back home to Orangeburg to teach at his old high school, then worked to help empower disadvantaged kids to attend college. Jaime also served as an aide to legendary South Carolina Congressman Jim Clyburn.

In 2013, Jaime was elected the first African American chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party, a position he held until 2017, when he was appointed by DNC Chair Tom Perez as an Associate Chair of the DNC.

In 2020, Jaime ran for the U.S. Senate from South Carolina, building a national grassroots movement and setting a fundraising record for the most raised by a Senate candidate. Jaime and his wife Marie live in Columbia, South Carolina, where they raise their two young sons.

New York State Assembly Member Michael Alexander Blake was born and raised in The Bronx, New York and is a son of Jamaican immigrants. His mother is a retired 40 year manufacturer and his late Father was an 1199SEIU maintenance supervisor at St. Barnabas Hospital in The Bronx.

Michael is a third term Assembly Member in the New York State Assembly representing the 79th District in The Bronx, New York. Blake has helped lead the efforts to create the first and only statewide My Brother’s Keeper education program in the country, now totaling more $56 million in three years. Moreover, Blake helped lead the charge to Raise The Age of criminal responsibility so that 16 and 17 year olds are not tried as adults in criminal court, increase funding for New York City public housing, continue to fund Diversity in Medicine medical scholarships and had his signature piece of legislation signed into law for Small, Minority and Women owned Business Enterprises with less than 300 employees who contract with New York state get paid in 15 days instead of 30.

Blake is also a Vice Chair at Large of the Democratic National Committee helping lead efforts in engaging with millennials, communities of color, local elected candidates and training. Blake has traveled to 31 states and to Japan since the DNC election in February 2017 ranging from candidate trainings to mobilizing base communities across the country.

Interview conducted by Dara Kennedy’s Emmy award-winning experience spans global and local TV and radio networks, covering news, sports, and politics. Having traveled to over 50 countries, she has moderated for brands like JPMorgan Chase, the NBA, and at the United Nations. Currently a news anchor in New York City, Dara also collaborates with global streamer Politics In Color on “Join The Conversation,” covering the 2024 U.S. presidential campaign. Her standout moments include President-elect Barack Obama’s victory in Grant Park and the University of Michigan’s national college football championship.

Join us in our mission to create a brighter future for families across Florida and beyond. We are proud to support the Good Dads Act Committee, a dedicated standing committee of the New Biscayne Gardens Chamber of Commerce Inc., a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization. Your generous contributions will play a vital role in effecting positive change in the lives of countless fathers and children.

Our primary goal is to advocate for the rights of biological fathers and ensure that they have the opportunity to be active and engaged parents in their children’s lives. The current legal framework in Florida presents challenges for unwed fathers who want to establish and protect their parental rights. We believe that every father should have an equal footing with the mother when it comes to parenting their children.

The Good Dad Act, introduced as Bill #775 in the Florida Legislature, is a landmark piece of legislation that aims to rectify this issue. It has received bipartisan support and has been hailed as a significant step towards fostering strong parent-child relationships. This law empowers unwed fathers to take on shared parental responsibility without the need for lengthy legal battles. Dr. Bernard Wh Jennings, a father and Florida Supreme Court Certified Mediator, spearheaded this initiative, turning his personal experience into a solution for fathers across the state.