Yesterday (June 19) was Father’s Day, and many of your favorite artists and their loved ones took to social media to share some highlights from the day. One of those was Kendrick Lamar‘s fiancée Whitney Alford, who posted an image of her beautiful family on Instagram. In addition, she provided a lengthy, heartfelt message in tribute to Lamar and other men in her life:

“I choose to celebrate them for stepping up instead of stepping out, for providing, for assisting us women, for healing, for showing up physically and most importantly for showing up emotionally.”

She continued:

“In my life I’ve witnessed a great majority of [fathers] run from their responsibilities. I now understand that they were running from their own pain but children were left behind. I understand they couldn’t properly communicate with women so kids suffered the consequence of their absence. I understand they needed validation and most times it was sought after outside of the home. And it was quite painful for all of us who knew this upbringing.”

Finally, she ended her message by revealing how she felt when she first celebrated the holiday six years ago:

“I was almost 30 the first time I celebrated Father’s Day and it’s still one of the hardest for me. I know there are many women like me. So men it’s not as important for us to celebrate you, as it is for You to celebrate You. Celebrate your contribution to the next generation. I am grateful for the men that are showing me a different picture, my lens was very narrow before but not anymore.”

Alford had a major presence on Kendrick Lamar’s fifth studio LP Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, a body of work that delved into personal subjects like mental health, family issues, and adultery. As with the rest of Lamar’s discography, the project received universal acclaim for its subject matter, earning the Compton star his fourth number one on the Billboard 200.

Check out Whitney Alford’s post below.