I know that I’ve already posted for today but I’m going to take a little editor’s privilege here and talk about something real quick because I can’t stay quiet on it.  I try to stay positive about humanity’s capacity to be great.  Today, it’s hard to hold onto that feeling and my heart aches.  To live in a country that makes such promises for freedom and opportunity and to wake up Black and realize that those promises are conditional is heartbreaking.  Another shooting of a black manchild, really?

What must it take to make another human being view an unarmed child as a deadly threat.

What is it about being black and male and alive that makes another human being fear him so?

Please tell me, what does it take for our children and our men to stop being terrorized and executed?  It’s not just the ones who break the law who are being killed, suddenly it’s okay to kill them just for being young and black and male?  Whatever happened to the use of non-lethal force?  Deadly force should be a last resort.  I said this was sudden, but this isn’t anything new if you know your history.  Yes, I’m angry.  I’m angry that one day someone could look at my nephew and decide he is a threat and choose to end his life without him even committing a crime.  I’m angry that someone could look at my brother and make a decision that he’s black and male and dangerous.  My husband, my cousins, my friends and all of the law abiding, brilliant, hard working black men of the world are not supposed to have to walk through life in constant fear that someone will choose to end them because of who they are and what they look like.  And Lord help me if I ever have a son…  NO ONE should have to live that way.

I don’t advocate the violence that has taken place in Ferguson, but I understand the anger.

The truth is that we teach our sons to trust God but we also teach them to hide their power.  Don’t wear a hoodie when you’re outside, baby or people will think you’re a thug.  Don’t walk through that neighborhood after dark, baby, folks will think you’re up to no good.  Don’t walk through a store with your hands in your pocket, baby, they’ll think you’re stealing.  Don’t EVER argue with a police officer, boy, because they have the power.  Be careful how you walk, baby.  Be careful who you date because some people won’t like you dating their daughters simply because you are black.  And even with all of this, we can’t keep them safe because there are people out there who fear black men.  There it is, the big pink elephant in the room.  Now, how are we going to deal with this?  This is the United States of America and NO citizen should have to walk around daily in fear for their lives and especially not in fear of the people we pay to protect us.