Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Boy

“I want you to know that in the last days and hours of my life you inspired me. You filled me with hope about the next chapter of the great American story when you used your power to make a difference in our society. Millions of people motivated simply by human compassion laid down the burdens of division. Around the country and the world you set aside race, class, age, language and nationality to demand human respect for human dignity.” –Representative John Lewis, op-ed, The New York Times

Young folks, you may already know that this book grew out of a viral video series, and no, it wasn’t a TikTok. I decided to create the series on May 28, 2020, just days after the tragic death of George Floyd. I was assessing the problem in our country and I realized there was a language barrier between black and white people. Sure, we all speak English in America, but that English is translated differently based upon your color and culture. Many of you are studying foreign languages in class right now; I encourage you to ask your Spanish teacher how you can become fluent in Spanish. They’ll probably tell you that you’ll need to study abroad and immerse yourself in Spanish. Because I was immersed in white culture growing up, I fully understand how to communicate with my white brothers and sisters while also being fully capable of communicating with my black brothers and sisters.

But following the murder of George Floyd, some of my white friends not so fluent in black culture had questions. Some of the questions were well-intentioned. Others, not so much. White people, I learned, didn’t understand what was going on across the country or within the black community. They didn’t understand the history, the hurt, or the pain that they saw bleeding into cities and towns around the country. The video series was my way of educating them and, hopefully, building up future allies in fighting off the virus of racism in America (we’ll talk more about allies later.)