The Talk

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62. This Is How Black Parents Talk To Their Sons About The Police

High-profile tragedies such as Michael Brown and Trayvon Martin have further exposed the systemic racism that still lives within our country – young unarmed black males are disproportionately being killed.

Gun violence is the leading cause of death among black children, with black teen males at the highest risk. Because black males are targeted so much by police, black parents are now forced to speak to their children about police brutality and how they’re perceived by the people that are supposed to protect them. This is a conversation that white parents have never even had to think about.

Jazmine Hughes wrote an article for Gawker about black parenting in which she reached out to a group of black parents and youths to see what they tell their sons about the police. She writes:

“Every black male I’ve ever met has had this talk, and it’s likely that I’ll have to give it one day too. There are so many things I need to tell my future son, already, before I’ve birthed him; so many innocuous, trite thoughts that may not make a single difference. Don’t wear a hoodie. Don’t try to break up a fight. Don’t talk back to cops. Don’t ask for help. But they’re all variations of a single theme: Don’t give them an excuse to kill you.”

read more: http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/08/21/this-is-how-black-parents-talk-to-their-sons-about-the-police/