Article: My Country ’Tis of Thee

The fear of being killed while Black by a police officer is more than just a distant fantasy– it is a palpable and ever-present reality. I hear the words of my father, a man who survived the segregated south and had more than his share of encounters with police, state, “let me know you made it home safely.” From the time I began driving unchaperoned or was allowed to go places overnight, in college taking road trips across state lines and through adulthood living away from home, he would make this admonition. Be safe, he would say. Stay calm if you are pulled over. Keep your hands in sight. Even with my father’s passing five years ago, these almost ritualistic words have remained with me.