“This is not your average run-of-the-mill lullaby,” sings Angela Johnson on this powerful song that reflects the fears and hopes of black mothers (and fathers!) everywhere.
We all know there’s a point at which our boys are no longer “cute” kids, but perceived as threats. In fact, there’s been research that shows black boys as young as 10 may not be viewed in the same light of childhood innocence as their white peers, but are more likely to be mistaken as older. Of course, this has huge implications for the ways we parents prepare our boys to move through the world. We want them not only to survive, but to thrive. However, we justifiably–in the wake of Travyon Martin, Jordan Davis, Eric Garner and Mike Brown–have to burden them with knowledge their white counterparts will never have to be concerned with: Namely, that any interaction with police could turn deadly or that some trigger-happy “citizen” could feel threatened by their presence.
Anyway, give a listen. Meanwhile, the struggle continues.
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