Jax Richards

Activist, Artist, Concerned citizen, Connector, Explorer, Job-seeker, Student

A fatherless GenZ kid who cherishes the power of storytelling more so than anything else.

Inspired and motivated by my background, I am incredibly passionate about volunteerism and helping people less fortunate. I fundamentally believe in the principle of “teaching people to fish” by giving them opportunity, education and experience. I’m passionate about speaking to others on a personal level and connecting in order to make a difference.

One third of US family households are single mothers-- making it the second most common family arrangement in the country. Back in 1950, that number was 7%. We, as a society are baring witness to the first real generation of Fathers absent by choice. It is their kids, kids just like me, that are bearing the burden. It’s perpetual. Yet, because society does not know how to address, they stigmatize it. So many people, myself included, are scared. Petrified that others might judge us because we are ashamed of something we can’t even control because our society tells us that the older we get, the more we become like our parents and classrooms assume your parents treat you well. It is tragically unaddressed how many kids don’t have fathers that show up for career day or don’t have someone cheering for them on the bleachers of their games. We live in a time where so much is demanded of kids, yet we remain ignorant of how so many don’t have a role model. Most people immediately think of stigma as regarding race, gender, religion, or sexuality. However, my most defining stigma is my family. In a 2015 Psychological study, from McGill University, researchers analyzed the physiological impacts of not having a Father. The study concluded that not only do these individuals endure an immense amount of behavioral abnormalities, but on a deeper level, the child’s brain structure actually changes. Marking significant differences in the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain which controls social and cognitive activity, the study asserts that paternal deprivation, growing up without a parent, negatively alters the structure of the brain permitely. Meaning that my brain is different and will be till the day I die. Following the release of the study, Psychology Today reports that, quote, “Given the fact that many social problems correlate more strongly with fatherless than with any other factor, surpassing race, social class, and poverty, father absence may well be the most critical issue of our time.” However, I’m by no means saying if you don’t have a Dad you're doomed. There are phenomenal single mothers and LGBTQ+ couples out there, I was raised by one. Great men and women do come from fatherless homes-- George Washington’s father died when he was 11. Thomas Jefferson’s when he was 14. Bill Clinton’s Father died before he was born. Gloria Steinem’s father left following her parent’s divorce. Alexander Hamilton never met his father. Audrey Hepburn, a notable humanitarian and arguably the best actress in history, remarked her father's departure was "the most traumatic event of her life." And she lived through Nazi-occupation. President Obama, who also had an estranged Father, stated in his 2014 State of the Union address, “Here in America, our success should not depend on the accident of birth, but the strength of our work ethic. And the scope of our dreams. That’s how the son of a single mom can be president of the greatest nation on Earth.”. But for every Washington, Hepburn, and Hamilton, there are hundreds of 1,000s of kids less fortunate, who are facing horrific, relentless and perpetual circumstances. Confucius once said, “The father who does not teach his son his duties is equally guilty with the son who neglects them.” Today, 90% of all runaways come from fatherless homes, 85% of children who exhibit behavioral disorders come from fatherless homes, 80% of rapist and murderers motivated with displaced anger come from fatherless homes, 63% of youth suicides come from fatherless homes and for a reason. Frederick Douglass said, “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”. That’s why I’m here today. Because there are a lot of broken people in the world today. Fatherlessness is not a race issue. It’s not a religious dilemma. It's not even a male problem. It’s a human problem. And for children to be strong, and to be a new bag of coins at a table of luck, they need opportunity. They need to feel empowered, not victimized. They need support that forms confidence and resolve but not stigma that breeds tension, contempt and perpetualization. Moreover, we cannot be afraid to share our backgrounds, speak up of what we’ve been through and who we are as people. Let me ask, how can we learn to love and to care if we do not learn to connect and to share?

My name’s Jax Richards— I was born in Beaverton, Oregon and am now a Freshman at the Oregon State Honors College, double majoring in public policy and speech communications. In high school, I was senior class president, an eagle scout, and an IB Diploma graduate and I am a state awarded speaker in Speech, Debate, Mock Trial, Model United Nations, and Theater. However, according to the United States Census Bureau, I am twice as likely to drop out of High School, 4 times more likely to live in poverty, 7 times more likely to commit suicide and am 13 times more likely to abuse drugs, commit a crime, and go to prison. That’s all because of a man named Steven. Steven has been married 4times, has 4-6 children from different mothers, has been diagnosed with ADHD, NPD, PTSD, Paranoid Schizophrenia disorder, and sociopathy. He is a convicted felon, guilty of extortion, embezzlement, money laundering, fraud, and identity theft. He is a conman, an abuser and a meth addict. And he is my Father. When I was younger, I lived in a house where we had to choose between electricity and running water because we couldn’t afford both. My Mom worked whenever and wherever she could; Steven constantly bounced in-and-out of my life as he pleased. Following my parent’s divorce in 2004, Steven spiraled. By law I would spend every wednesday and every other weekend with him and all I ever knew with him was inconsistancy; He’d always have a different car, a different phone and a different place to sleep. We mostly slept in crappy motels or a shack in the middle of some junkyard. It wasn’t uncommon for me to go 72 hours without eating because Steven would be passed out, high or hungover. He was arrested in 2012 and I haven’t seen him since. As a result, my social and emotional development was thrown into disarray. As a young child, I was seeing my classmate’s fathers who were employed at corporations such as Intel or the Nike World Headquarters and showed up to all their kid’s school and extracurricular events. I had romanticized the concept of a traditional Dad, but I realized that I had been blessed with a painful misfortune. Through counseling and internal reflection, along with the love of my surrounding community, I finally learned to work through the pain, and regain my sense of self through trusting my confidence and insecurities with my friends, community and, most importantly, my mother. The most relevant skills I developed while resolving this distress was learning to properly trust others, in addition to constructing healthy communication and relationships. The boundless sea of encouragement and support that was provided to me has immeasurably benefited me and is something I will never be able to repay. Through that ordeal, I became determined not to follow in Steven’s footsteps and it has pushed me to develop a robust moral integrity, a compelling desire to support others in need and a dedicated drive to serve my community that I’ll possess endlessly.

Swing Dancing, archery and drawing!