“At 17, I was kicked out of the house. It didn’t make sense to me that the color of someone’s skin was dangerous. I couldn’t carry around the weight of her hate. ‘Will you marry me?’ He was Muslim, I was not. His love for me went deeper than our beliefs.”
‘Listen to me, if you ever bring home a non-white boy, I will disown you.’ If I wanted to date outside my race, I’d have to do it in secret.’: Woman raised in racist home urges ‘create a family that radiates love’
‘Are YOU okay, ma’am?’ The officer was staring at my passenger, my 15-year-old son. Her hand shot right back on her gun.’: Mom speaks out about racism against son, ‘My skin protected him’
“I was pulled over for driving over the speed limit. I BROKE THE LAW! Each officer got out, slowly approached my car with their hands on their guns. That had never happened to me before, so I thought it strange. One cautiously approached my window and asked, ‘Are YOU okay, Ma’am?’ She stared at my son with a look I had never seen in an officer before.”
‘He’s different from the others. You know what I mean.’ We woke to a noose hanging in our yard.’: Military wife talks difficulties of interracial relationship, ‘We all need to speak up’
“When we traveled together, the flight attendant asked us and ONLY us if we belonged together. They see a black man. They don’t know he spent half of his life serving this nation.”
‘Mom, I can’t get the video out of my head.’ My sweet boys who still snuggle, could be viewed as a threat.’: Mom encourages sons to protest, ‘My boys got to participate in something so impactful’
“’Why is that officer on that man’s neck?’ It dawned on me, although we explained racism and expressed there are people who will hate them because of their skin color, we failed to put emphasis on how some of those people may very well be the same ones intended to protect you.”
‘In my rearview mirror I saw a small, dark SUV turn around and follow me. ‘What’s going on?’ The police jumped out and drew their guns.’: Military veteran details experiences with racism in and out of uniform
“I was told, ‘Your vehicle matches the description of a robbery.’ He cuffed me as two more squad cars pulled in front of my house. I explained to them I wasn’t the man they were looking for and to please check the security cameras. They handcuffed me in front of my kids. Not in my military uniform, I was no longer one of the ‘good ones.'”
‘Are you going to buy that book?’ An employee walked over to me. ‘You can’t stand here and read it, you have to put it down.’: Woman details personal experiences with racism, ways to help
” ‘Are you kidding me?’ I looked around at the others doing the same exact thing. ‘So, it’s OK for them to stand and read, but I can’t?’ She smugly said, ‘YEP.’ I started shaking.”
‘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.”
‘Can I use your phone? I need to call the police.’ This woman found it ‘funny’ to scare little black boys, and I am heartbroken.’: Mom of black son says ‘images of 1950’s racism are on my 2020 TV’
“The people listening to her story worked in education, and most of them found this story funny. So, instead of cutting the story off, they laughed. I am heartbroken. This is my response.”
‘Poor kid, having to pretend two ‘apes’ are family.’ They say we are mixing pure and dirty blood.’: Woman’s second marriage to black man makes her learn ‘people don’t understand the value of love over skin color’
“Women have approached my son at the park with my husband and said, ‘Honey, where is your mommy? Do you know him? Do you need me to help you find your mommy?’ He’s assumed to be a criminal while I’m always viewed as the saint, a woman who adopted black children out of the goodness of her heart.”
