I am:
§ The proud mother of two adult black men.
§ The proud mother of a sworn police officer.
§ The mother of two of America’s often unsubstantiated threats.
§ I am the mother of two targets in and out of my own community.
When I heard the chants of the activists to indiscriminately “F*** the Police” and their apparent disregard for the fallen Black officer, my epiphany moments kicked in.
Why were these Black men and women apparently regarded ineligible for the same passionate advocacy as any other Black or Brown person in America? We can’t possibly be that myopic that we can’t unite to resolve our shared experiences of being Black or Brown in America or see that a Black or Brown fallen officer is still a Black or Brown person…or are we that dissented?
I try to reconcile the realities of having both feet in the proverbial two Americas. The realities of sometimes straddling the fence of race and criminal justice in America can be daunting. Despite the absolute daily fear that my son can be killed because he is in Blue and that both sons can be killed because they are Black is an existence wished on no mother. However, I stand resolute with ten toes down for both my sons to live their best life and achieve their career and personal goals because I am a MOM(S) of BOTH.