[Please excuse the poor audio quality. Pretending that you are listening to an Edison phonograph might help].

What My Parents Taught Me about Out-Smarting Racism

I cannot think of a time when I was not aware of how structural racism affects . . . well . . . everything. I remember knowing, in my earliest memories, that there was an invisible yet definitely material barrier between me and White people and that the system deemed me inferior. There is a hymn we would sing in church asking the Lord to cleanse us from sin. The refrain was, “Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.” I knew that I could never be whiter than snow. I remember feeling strange about being boy crazy in kindergarten because I knew that romantic relationships between us were not allowed. I don’t remember there being any Black boys in my first grade class but there were two brown boys. That was as close to Black as I was going to get so I dutifully picked the object of my attention from between them. My parents did not teach me that. I just . . . knew. What my parents did provide was an excellent example of the sophisticated analytical and strategic approach for defeating structural racism that People of Color must develop in order to not just survive but thrive anyway. Join me this Sunday for a frank conversation with my mother about how she and my father approached teaching me and my siblings to navigate racist structures. This is sure to be a fascinating conversation. Come Abide Here. Come Hungry/Leave Transformed.