Parents are having ‘the talk’ with their children about police. What did yours say?
My childhood came and went without “the talk,” in which black parents tell their kids how to deport themselves in public, particularly around police, if they want to survive.
Perhaps my mom and my biological father, Indian and African American respectively, felt my path would be safe and that my life would pass without a violent racial confrontation: I grew up in a sheltered Indian community in New Jersey and, when my mother remarried, in Loudoun County, Va., one of the richest counties in the United States. Crime was rare and the community was strong.
But after police killed Alton Sterling and Philando Castile last week, followed by the tragedy in Dallas that claimed the lives of five police officers, my mother changed her mind.
Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice and Eric Garner had all died without prompting this outpouring. But last week was the final straw. Apparently you are never too old for the talk.
This was new territory for me. How do you calm your parents when they’re scared you could be next? How do you tell them that you won’t be among roughly 1,000 Americans that police are on track to shoot and kill this year?
Surely others across the country are having the same kind of talk with their own parents and loved ones this week. The Washington Post is curious to hear from you: What have these conversations been like?
Tell us about the talks you’re having with your families in the aftermath of last week.
Share them verbatim or give us a general sense in the comments below or through this submission form. We may select responses and feature them in The Post.
