Skip to main content

You make this possible. Support our independent, nonprofit newsroom today.

Give Now

This dad 'had never hugged a white man.' Now he's tackling race

caption: Zakary Fike and William Hughes
Enlarge Icon
Zakary Fike and William Hughes
KUOW: Isolde Raftery

"I had NEVER hugged a white man in my whole life. And now I'm like hugging these guys and saying 'I love you, brother.'"

Zakary Fike is white. William Hughes is black. They grew up in different worlds but their lives ended up the same — in jail without being able to see their children, full of hate and prejudice.

A Seattle group turned things around for these two men. Divine Alternatives for Dads Services, or DADS, helped Zak and William come up with parenting plans so they could spend time with their kids again. DADS also helped them face their feelings about race.

Why you can trust KUOW