I think this should be required reading for all white parents of black boys, and for their extended family, and for anyone who cares about them:
How to Talk to Young Black Boys About Trayvon Martin
Eight talking points about the potentially fatal condition of being Black
By
1. It’s unlikely but possible that you could get killed today. Or any day. I’m sorry but that’s the truth. Blackmaleness is a potentially fatal condition. I tell you that not to scare you but because knowing that could possibly save your life. There are people who will look at you and see a villain or a criminal or something...
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Thank you. This is excellent. Heartbreaking but excellent.
ReplyDeleteI had been getting bits and pieces of this advice from black mothers... it was very helpful to find it all in one place and so well put.
DeleteMakes me want to weep. One of the things that never occurred to me before our kids came home was the necessity of teaching them things like this.
ReplyDeleteMaybe your situation is different because you live in a small town (I think?). For us it's something we have thought about from the beginning. Trayvon Martin's murder just brought it into sharper focus.
DeleteI think about this all the time and I hope an outcome of this tragedy is increased awareness and thoughtfulness as we look at our neighbors and people we pass on the street. I'm lucky to live in a diverse city; my son's preschool class has more faces of color than white, including another Ethiopian boy(!). Both teachers are African American. When he transitions to kindergarten I doubt we'll be as lucky. I'm nervous about this already and it's only March. I feel my worries for him (and my daughter too) will exponentially increase with each year.
ReplyDeleteI am trying to learn to walk the fine line between being terrified and being prepared.
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