The fires are burning a mile from my brother’s house in Minneapolis. He has two teenage sons of color at home with him. I can imagine his worry. I know my youngest sister is very worried about her Sons in this current time. She knows her kids are presumed dangerous and guilty before they even open their mouths. She says that the level of hyper vigilance is exhausting.
It’s happening again. Social injustice followed by rightful anger that is misdirected and misused by opportunists, especially political ones. this picture tries to represent my memories and feelings about my family during the Martin Luther King riots in Washington DC. I was playing with my brothers and sisters and didn’t understand why all the grown-ups were looking at TV sets. My mother , who had marched and heard the I Have a Dream speech, was crying but took us all by the hand to the car. My dad had to talk his way through the barricades held by men in uniform to get his children home . At least we still had a home and a neighborhood . I didn’t get it then but I get it now.