“I didn’t want my children to miss
this historic moment”
Why one Maryland mom
decided to bring her kids to a
Black Lives Matter protest
By Lauren Harris
TALKING about racism is not new in my family.

Colorism and self-hatred were prominent in my family growing up,
and I always wanted my children to be proud of being Black. Ever
since their births, I’ve told my son (9) and my daughter (6) that they
are smart, handsome, beautiful and blessed and could accomplish
anything with determination and hard work.

I purchase children’s books with Black protagonists and that
center around Black experiences. I make sure to teach them the
contributions of Black people to the U.S. and to the world. As a
minister and Sunday school teacher, I make sure to point out the
African presence in the Bible so my children and students know
that they, too, are made in God’s image.

But I also tell my son, who is a highly functioning
autistic, that if he doesn’t learn to control his behavior
in school, the teachers at his elementary school
could call the police on him. I show him the stories
of Black children in schools who’ve been violently
manhandled, handcuffed and abused by police.

He knows being a Black boy means he’ll be treated
differently by society.

The first opportunity I received to protest with my ministe-
rial colleagues, I turned it down. I thought about the excessive
violence police used against the protestors and the risk of
COVID-19. I saw the graphic images of rubber bullets embedded
in protestors’ heads. The sister of one of my ministerial col-
leagues was maimed by a rubber bullet during a peaceful protest
in D.C. I didn’t want to put myself in harm’s way.

However, I have not shielded my children from the protests
happening all over the world against police brutality and racism.

Without inciting too much fear, I have explained to them that Black
people still have to fight for equality and justice, especially when it
comes to how we are treated by the police. I let them know that the
March on Washington and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. did not end
racism and injustice despite what the public school system teaches.

So when I learned that Mayor Muriel Bowser had “Black Lives
Matter” painted on 16th Street in D.C., I knew I had to take my children
to see it for themselves.

We went as a family to protest in Washington on Saturday, June 6. We wore our
masks and walked towards the White House. I showed my children the National
Guard blocking off several streets, and I showed them the men I presumed to be
snipers on top of the White House. They didn’t get to see it in totality, but they saw
the yellow letters of the “Black Lives Matter” street art.

I also showed them all of the people standing in solidarity with Black people.

I pointed out every encouraging sign and T-shirt. I was pleasantly surprised to see
that other parents brought their babies and children to the overall peaceful protest.

DAVID STUCK
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