“Imagine you’re a black author. You’ve written one of your best works about fatherhood. You’re super excited to get it published, only to receive a rejection letter targetting the color of your black protagonist.”
‘I received a rejection letter that read, ‘African American ‘fathers’ is such a tough sell. Your project will not be a good fit.’: Author denied book publishing due to ‘black protagonist’
‘I was walking into the grocery store when a kid asked, ‘Are you a looter? Do you like looting?’ Inside, I was boiling.’: Man turns racist incident into teaching moment for local kids
“As I was walking away, I heard one of them say, ‘Man the ice cream melted!’ I could’ve kept walking, but I decided to turn it into a teaching moment.”
‘People patted me on the back. ‘How good of you to befriend this black boy!’ they said, without acknowledging you.’: Man pens letter to childhood friend, ‘I’m speaking up now, I hope you can hear me’
“I was in your presence when the n-word was used, on multiple occasions. I said nothing. You came to my white church. You stayed in my white home, ate at my white table. An occasional visit to your world was all my whiteness could warrant, yet you were expected to live in mine. Us white folks stole your oxygen, long before ‘I can’t breathe.'”
‘Oh, that poor baby! Why don’t you do something with her nappy hair?’ The other kids weren’t allowed to play with me, the ‘little mixed girl.’: Mom to bi-racial family details experiences with racism
“My mom always carried a brush and detangler. She still carries them with her everywhere she goes, 26 years later. I remember sitting on the floor in my living room, my mom meticulously brushing for hours, crying because of the comments. I wanted to be like the other kids. ‘This is just the way it is, honey.'”
‘There’s nothing out in the world for me past dark.’ Ernest doesn’t work after dinnertime, because it isn’t safe for him.’: Woman urges ‘start by listening and lifting each other up’
“I am a 45 year-old white woman living in the south, and today was the first time I spoke frankly about racism with a black man. His answers were illuminating.”
‘He said she got in her vehicle and got on her phone and pulled off to an area near the gas station. Within minutes police cars pulled in and surrounded him.’: Woman recounts husband’s experience with racism ‘He came home a changed man. I am a changed woman’
“My husband wanted to do me a favor one night when he got home late from work. While there, an older white woman was at a pump across from him and he noticed she appeared very nervous and stared at him. He was told he fit a description. They asked whose car he was driving. He was told he could not leave. He was told the description was simply a black man. He came home a changed man.”
‘I noticed a young black boy walking into our yard. Something was strange. Then, I realized he had his hands up.’: Man urges ‘we need to do better’ after heartbreaking encounter with boy
“We were sitting here having lunch when his ball had rolled into our yard. He looked nervous. He walked so slowly, looking straight ahead. Then I realized he had his hands up.”
‘My innocent son was already born a stereotype. He has to fight to prove his worth, because of his skin.’: Mom and son run in honor of Ahmaud Arbery, ‘Don’t turn a blind eye’
“Today I cried heavy tears. Today I ran with my 9-year-old who has no clue how cruel this world can be. One day, I will have to explain all this to my compassionate and loving son.”
‘Why do you celebrate Black History Month, you’re white???’ I refuse to live in a world where our future grandchildren cannot play together.’: White woman explains importance of celebrating ‘black excellence’
“I’ve seen division. I’ve seen hate. I’ve seen racism come from my own white family. I do not know the future holds, but what I do know is I want to create a safe space for every black child.”
‘I ‘killed’ my son, long before he went missing 5 years ago.’: Mother encourages shift in ‘black parenting,’ claims ‘we can change the world with love’
“Growing up, my son loved me more than life, but feared me worse than death. I screamed in his face, threatened him for disturbing me, and dared him to cry when he was hurting. Sometimes, I denied him hugs and loving arms. Don’t make the same mistakes I did. Our sons suffer an invisible death when their mother is the first one to call him ‘bad.'”
