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Due to the color of her skin The daughter of Christopher Emanuel, named Sklyer was allotted to be under the category of “unusual or exceptional circumstances” placing her in jeopardy of being adopted but ou-of-staters, according to The Western Journal.
Emanuel registered at the Responsible Fatherhood Registry through the Department of Social Services in the state of South Carolina.
Emanual’s registration with this association requires that he be notified if his daughter ends up for adoption.
President of the South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families Pat Littlejohn claims, ““Before rights are terminated to allow an adoption to occur attorneys, as well as the department of social services, will check this registry and if his name is on there he must be notified.
Emanuel file with the registry on February 4th.
However, Skylar went up for adoption on February 19th and he was never notified.
“I always said I wanted to be a great dad,” Emanuel said.
Skyler’s mother and Emanuel were not married upon the arrival of their beautiful baby girl.
Emanuel said, “I didn’t know if she was safe … I didn’t know if I would ever see her again,” he said. “I was lost, man, I was hurt, I was confused because I wanted to ensure that I could be there for my child.”
“My daughter was in San Diego, California, with the prospective adoptive couple where her name is changed.”
“Where I have medical documentation calling my daughter another name but she was never legally adopted.”
“This was my opportunity to prove that I was deprived of that, you know, my constitution and my state rights were violated.”
His website claims, “Despite the obstacles and structural impediments he faced as a father he was successful in bringing his daughter home.”
“Now as a single father, through his triumph and the lessons of fatherhood, he has taken on a role of being a Father Practitioner.
“Educating and empowering fathers to cultivate responsibility and family values.”
“Why its imperative to be proactive. The importance of registering with your State Putative Father Registry and the rights of putative fathers.”
From The Western Journal:
Part of the issue is that South Carolina adoption laws allow for children born under “unusual or exceptional circumstances” to be adopted by out-of-state adopters — and being biracial, his daughter Skyler fell under that category. It’s another law many agree needs to change.
Emanuel lawyered up and pursued Skyler, even though she’d been taken from Aiken County, where she was born, to San Diego.
He was not even listed as the biological father on the adoption paperwork, and his rights had been terminated illegally.
It took almost a year, but a judge finally ruled in his favor, and his baby was sent back to South Carolina and to his waiting arms. As a result of his struggle and the way his rights were trampled, Emanuel started a group in 2015 to advocate for fathers’ rights, called “Sky Is the Limit Foundation.”
Emanuel, his daughter and his work are all a beacon of hope for others who want to avoid the same issues that he encountered and be able to keep their children close.
