Let's talk about RACE

The police officers behind the senseless killings of black men nationwide are not only bad examples, they’re dream killers

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Editor’s Note: As journalists, we spend a lot of time talking with officials and community members and distilling it into stories that explore important issues of our time. But we realize that sometimes it is just more powerful to hear it straight from the source. This is one of those times. The essay is a special feature timed for Mother's Day and the Brown Mamas Monologues* happening May 12. For as long as I can remember, my son Dion has wanted to be a football player and a policeman (and a pizza maker and a race car driver).

Teen Voices
Hannah Watkins is a 16-year-old in the 11th grade at Woodland Hills High School. (Photo by Ryan Loew/PublicSource)

My family left Wilkinsburg. But it’s still our community, and I hope it flourishes.

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Just like many other communities, Wilkinsburg has its issues and things that need to change. When we put our minds and ideas together, I do not doubt for a second that Wilkinsburg can become a better place — a safer and cleaner community where kids can continue to play games in their yards and parents don’t have to worry about stray bullets or loose dogs. Because they will know Wilkinsburg is a better place.

Let's talk about RACE

My 6-year-old grandson thought a book character’s skin was ‘too dark.’ Here’s how I handled it.

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When my 6-year-old grandson told me he didn’t like the African-American girl in a book about diverse children because she was ‘too dark,’ I felt like the protagonist in the French film “Amélie” when she transformed into water and dropped into a huge puddle on the floor. I was devastated — shocked, angry, surprised and, most importantly, stumped.