Many of us who have any sense of social justice — nay, of humanity — are angry, outraged, and saddened by the shooting death of Michael Brown, a Black teenager in Missouri. I find myself once again scared for my son’s friends who are Black. As a White person with a White son, I cannot know what it is like to be a Black person, or raising a Black child, in today’s America. I do, however, know that Dr. King’s words apply: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
It’s easy to pretend racism doesn’t exist when we have a Black president and a Black Cinderella and a Black Captain America. Michael Brown and Trayvon Martin and so many others remind us that it does. Underlying the headline incidents, too, is the everyday racism that can eat at people’s souls.
There’s plenty to read about Michael Brown right now. Here are a few things that have especially captured my attention because of my own location as a White lesbian mom with an 11-year-old son. They may or may not resonate for you. I welcome your suggestions in the comments on additional articles, books, and insights that have helped you understand or take action against racism.
- Last year, I reviewed the book American Family: Things Racial, by partners Stacy Cusulos and Barbara Waugh, the White adoptive mothers of two Black children. Their story, while far from identical to that of Michael Brown’s family, also shows the deep current of racism that still pervades our society and affects our children. I recommend it (and their website) for one perspective on the impact of racism.
- Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, asked her African American teenage son and Eva Paterson, founder of the Equal Justice Society (with whom her son is interning) to write a post with their reflections on Brown’s death. It, too, is worth a read.
- A’Driane Nieves wrote “America’s Not Here for Us,” over a year ago, long before Michael Brown was shot. In it, she answers her kindergarten-age son’s question, ““Mom-are we still slaves? Do people still hate us, African-Americans?” I heard her read the piece out loud at the BlogHer conference last month, and it was a raw and powerful sharing of her truth.
- I also found myself getting choked up over Janeane Davis’ post at BlogHer, “The Ferguson Shooting Has Me Scared for My Son.” Her son is 11, like mine.
- On a practical note, when Trayvon Martin was killed, Welcoming Schools posted some useful links to resources for talking about the tragedy with children. Parents and teachers may find them useful yet again. (Their link to Teaching for Change is outdated; the correct link is here.)
I hope I can raise my son to be a strong ally. I hope I can be a good role model for showing him how we as White people can and should work to erase racism in our world. I hope that soon, no parent ever has to worry when her children leave the house, wondering if they’ll return alive.