Black parents must teach children survival lessons regardless of class status

Evidence

This climate of fear forces black parents to impart particular lessons to their children. We fear for our children’s lives every time they leave the relative safety of our homes, and depending upon where you live, that fear varies in intensity. I once called my son away from the comfort of his bedroom and forced him to walk outside with me. He looked stereotypically suburban: pajama bottoms, a T-shirt, and Nike running shoes. The police were at a neighbor’s house. Apparently one of their boys had gotten into trouble. Instead of taking the young man to jail, they had brought him home. Even though I am a Princeton professor, I turned to my boy, and without blinking, I told him, “They would not have brought you home to me. They would’ve taken you to jail.” — Eddie S. Glaude Jr., Democracy in Black, 551

Categorization

• SEED: The class-irrelevant nature of the fear — a Princeton professor still coaches his son for police encounters — is a sharp essay angle on how racial habits override class privilege.