my father's conversation with me was daily my grandfather uh talked to me as a as a as a black man from Augusta Georgia growing up in the Deep South it's probably Rob my older brother had this conversation but then it's more of like you know wear a condom do this you know it's like man it's like little man lessons when a cop pulls you over when you get pulled over not if you get pulled over at some point you will get pulled over and here is how you act as a a young black man grow
up growing up in New York I've had you know a few runin with with the police and being completely innocent so people pull us out of the car throw us on the floor it's in February so it's like snow and slush and stuff on the ground put their knees in in our back put the guns to our head as I'm putting my hands on the steering wheel so uh I don't make uh the police nervous I realized how nervous I was and then I realized my children were nervous the thing that people say is you
have to talk to him before he uh experiences racism himself but when is that he is going to turn into a large scary black man and that is it's that's not who he is but that's how he will be perceived I I know what this kid's going to he's going to look like him you know he I know what he's going to look like when I'm a large scary black man you are a large scary black man okay that's a problem in and that's a problem I am not large nor scary I can't do anything
with that I'm sure anyway go ahead it's frightening and I'm being very light when I use the word frightening if something goes wrong you your first line of defense um you know the parents not being there is to go to the police if you're Caucasian so but I mean that's what you teach your children unfortunately it can't work for black children right it doesn't mean that every police officer is inherently a bad person but what it does mean is that the police force that institution does not look out for your best interest this this unspoken
code of white r of of racism and white supremacy that says that my life does not matter you can put your hands up and say and cooperate and say that I'm choking and still be killed and then there's no repercussions it's maddening I get so frustrated and angry um about um having to prepare my kids for something that that that that that um that they're not responsible for and these are conversations that people of other races do not have to have with your children the conversation with him was really just look you're a beautiful young
boy being an African-American is a wonderful thing it's a wonderful blessing you have come from great people but it's also a hard thing in America because of your skin color as a black boy and as a black man we are going to be dealing with a lot of danger under no circumstance are you to talk to the police if you're arrested until I get there do what they say don't get into any arguments make sure your hands are out of your pockets so they can see these are the questions you can ask this is who
to call this is this is what happens if this bad thing think it's not like please mass it on whip me no it's like excuse me sir what is your badge number I'm going to film this if you want police brutality to stop if you want police to treat you like a human being then you you have to see your yourself as a human being you have every right in this world that anyone else does what I love about you as my son is I remember when we thought about having you and you know knowing
that we wanted you and watching you grow you are the Muhammad Ali you are the malm X you are the Martin Luther King you are an amazing young man and the future is yours and I will do my best to make sure you're safe that's it I love [Music] you [Music]
