Walter Mosley at the 2007 Brooklyn Book Festival. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
By Walter Mosley
I remember when I was 17 years old, in 1969; three of my friends dropped by in one of their cars and asked me if I wanted to go out with them to the beach or the woods, I forget which. I told my father that I was going and he came out to see my friends. He knew them all and liked them. I went to high school with two of them.
“I’ll see you later,” I said to my dad.
“OK, Walter, but let me tell you something first. If the police stop you guys, your friends will be going home and you will go to jail.”
These particular friends were young, long-haired white kids.
My father was telling me, teaching me that my rights and those of my friends were not the same in midcentury America. People were watching me, suspecting me, fearing and hating me. Not all people. Not all white people. But there was an active shooting range on the streets of every big city in the country, and there was an indelible target on every black man’s chest and head.
Living in the land of the free doesn’t make you free—that’s what my father taught me.
This lesson was repeated every day for many and most young black men in America. The older generation, through gritted teeth, was passing on despicable wisdom that had been true since the United States had been colonies.
Read More Living in the Land of the Free Doesn’t Make You Free – The Daily Beast.
About The Soul Brother
An observer to the world. I have a unique view of the world and want to share it. It's all in love from the people of the "blues". Love, Knowledge, and Sharing amongst all is the first steps towards solving all the problems amongst humanity.
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Living in the Land of the Free Doesn’t Make You Free
Walter Mosley at the 2007 Brooklyn Book Festival. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
By Walter Mosley
I remember when I was 17 years old, in 1969; three of my friends dropped by in one of their cars and asked me if I wanted to go out with them to the beach or the woods, I forget which. I told my father that I was going and he came out to see my friends. He knew them all and liked them. I went to high school with two of them.
“I’ll see you later,” I said to my dad.
“OK, Walter, but let me tell you something first. If the police stop you guys, your friends will be going home and you will go to jail.”
These particular friends were young, long-haired white kids.
My father was telling me, teaching me that my rights and those of my friends were not the same in midcentury America. People were watching me, suspecting me, fearing and hating me. Not all people. Not all white people. But there was an active shooting range on the streets of every big city in the country, and there was an indelible target on every black man’s chest and head.
Living in the land of the free doesn’t make you free—that’s what my father taught me.
This lesson was repeated every day for many and most young black men in America. The older generation, through gritted teeth, was passing on despicable wisdom that had been true since the United States had been colonies.
Read More Living in the Land of the Free Doesn’t Make You Free – The Daily Beast.
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About The Soul Brother
An observer to the world. I have a unique view of the world and want to share it. It's all in love from the people of the "blues". Love, Knowledge, and Sharing amongst all is the first steps towards solving all the problems amongst humanity.