The Ferguson shooting and so many incidents like it scare me. I am the mother of four children. Three girls and one son. I call my son, “my son, my son, my golden one.” He has beautiful hopes and dreams for the future. When Barak Obama was first elected president my son said when he grew up, he would be president and Obama could be his vice president. In the years since his plans and life have remained lofty and good. My son is tall for his age. He is tall, intelligent, talkative and has a strong sense of right and wrong. He argues passionately to prove his points and to have his voice heard. In most contexts, these would all be wonderful things. But, this is 2014 in America and my son is a little black boy.
There are stories on the news almost every day about black on black crime. While those stories are scary, I don’t worry about them much. My son is a good boy. He is in school, does not commit crimes, and by all accounts has a bright and shining future. There are also stories on the news almost every day about black men and black boys who are shot and killed for doing nothing other than being black men and boys. These are the stories that terrify me.
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