Let him get home safe, I said a silent prayer as my six-foot-two teen son walked to the store in my suburban neighborhood. Still a boy in my eyes, to anyone else, he appears to be a grown man. Take that hood off your head! Belt your pants! Pick out your hair! Don’t look like a threat.
When I was just 15-years-old, an autistic boy was killed by the police in my neighborhood. His mother was having trouble handling him and made the mistake of calling the authorities. Forced outside in 20-degree weather with no shirt on, her son died that night. Life went on, and I don’t think anything happened to the officers.
Like the rest of Black America, I raged when George Floyd was murdered shortly after other high-profile killings of innocent African Americans. Why can’t Black people live in peace in this country? Why have I had to shield my teen son from racism since he was shunned on a preschool tee-ball team, while others on Facebook wonder when they should “break the news†about racism to their 12-year-olds?
Watching the KidLit Rally for Black Lives, sponsored by The Brown Bookshelf, was like taking a cooling shower on a sweltering day. Authors Jacqueline Woodson, Jason Reynolds, Derrick Barnes, and Denene Millner’s stirring examples were a virtual warm hug.  Illustrator Vanessa Brantley Newton’s sweet singing soothed my soul. Words from Elizabeth Acevedo, Gene Luen Yang, and other non-Black artists, encouraged me that many are committed to the struggle. Newbery Medal Winner Kwame Alexander’s stirring closing poem literally took my breath away and had me on my feet.
We have a long journey ahead, but the comments from educators and parents tuning in, wanting to help, trying to understand, gives me hope that this time, change will truly come and that the loss of so many beautiful Black lives has not been in vain. If you missed the first showing of this Facebook Live event, do yourself a favor and check out the event recording.
Tonya Duncan Ellis is author of the Amazon Best Selling, Readers’ Favorite “Five Star†rated Sophie Washington children’s book series, geared toward readers ages 8-12 and is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).
www.tonyaduncanellis.com
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