Fear of the black man is not a new trend. In fact, this has been the same defense for the killing of black men since the foundation of America began.
58%
This was the class response when asked if they saw a black man walking in dark would they fear their lives. This was not any black man, but I showed them an image of my dad. I could've chosen any image of a black man but using someone I love was an eye-opener.
Next question. My classmates were asked to write one word as to why they feared their lives when seeing this man at nighttime. The responses: Stranger, Big, Scary, Thug. I then revealed that the man in the photo was my father. A man who has always been in my life. A man who works hard, love sports, has been married for 22 years, a grandfather, and an educated man.
33%
This was the response when asked how many people would fear for their lives if they saw my dad walking at night.
In a room full of white faces I quickly saw how a simple project in sociology turned into a huge nightmare with one simple online poll. This was one classroom, in one school, but I believe that people are born with the idea of fear of the black man.
Every week another unarmed black man is shot and killed based on combined fear and racism.
We live in a country where mothers are burying their kids, where children are being labeled as thugs, and where half of the country sees no issue with the matter.
We live in a country where school shooters have a better chance of survival than a black man driving a car. Too many people have died in the hands of people whose job is to serve and protect.
We live in a country for the death of a dog gets more support than the death of a person.
We live in a country where the justice system is still set up for the failure of blacks.
When will it stop?
Racism will never die but killing innocent people seems to be ok if the innocent is black. Even with solid evidence of a crime, even with visual proof, the back man will never win. How do we change? Slavery ended a 100 years ago and black people still aren’t free.
According to my class, my dad is still just one of those thugs. He fits into the category of a fearful black man. My dad, 42 years old and still fears the idea of driving at times. My dad, a good citizen and clean driving record, still fears being pulled over by the cops.
It is 2018 and killing black men is becoming a trending topic in every city in almost every family.
When will it stop?
