The Importance Of Growing Up Black

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Recommended: Racial discrimination in the criminal justice system

Growing up black is something only a black person can know and relate too. Growing up as a black man is ever less of something people can relate too. Since I was young my mother and father told me to be respectful to cops and anyone who is in authority over me. I had to know that if I were to get pulled over by a cop and I did not keep my hands on the steering wheel I could risk loosing my life.
How crazy does that sound? A kid having to grow up and already face racism and know that there is another race of people who not everyone, but a few of them do not like you because of the color of your skin.
Me? I never thought I would face that. I was that kid in school that had all the friends, and did everything. My friends were all different colors, I was in theater my whole life, in french classes my whole life, played football a good amount of my life, and believe it or not KI was a boy scout for a bit. …show more content…

We had a black president, the first one ever, and he was a great candidate but then a few weeks later I seen a difference in people. Before then I never witnessed any sort of racism until a girl named Ashley told me that I was not meant to be in the country. I will never forget that day because it was the first time in my life someone had ever told me anything like that. I was in total awe about the whole situation thinking to myself . Is this what my family was talking about all this time? Is this how evil people really are?
Then I asked

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