An eye-opening documentary called “A Conversation about Growing Up Black” published by the New York Times on Thursday explores race and childhood in a series of candid interviews with young black men. The interviewees are asked to define racism, then share anecdotes of how it’s affected their lives.
One 17-year-old named Malik described an experience in school where he was the only black student in a classroom discussing the book Huckleberry Finn and its use of racist language. “There’s that uncomfortable moment the ‘magic word’ comes up and people look at you — ‘What’s his reaction?’” he says. A 22-year-old man named Shaquille says he voluntarily crosses the street so he won’t “scare the white lady.” Another has counted the number of times women clutch their purses upon seeing him in public.
Several describe routinely being stopped by law enforcement — one as he was walking from one school building to the other while his white classmates passed him. Another adds, “I feel like I’m being hunted.”
10-year-old Maddox says, “I want people to know that I’m perfectly fine and I’m not going to hurt anybody or do anything bad.”
There’s also the pain that black parents endure while raising their families. “We live in a world where my mom has to be afraid when I walk outside from the people who are meant to protect me,” says Malik. Many shared how their parents have prepared them for a world that’s less than equal.
“Mom and dad, I’ll be fine because you did a good job raising me,” says Marvin, 25. “You gave me all the resources, time, blood, sweat, and tears, to make me a good man, an honorable man. The foundation to survive in this country.”
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