Took this photo at the school fair yesterday. I love taking photos, they’re not always great but they represent a moment in time for me.
This morning we told Sai about the verdict in the Philando Castile case. His last photo is very different from this one. But one similarity is strikingly visible.
That’s America…we live in Canada…it’s different. I moved to Canada at 13 years. For 13 years I wasn’t aware of my blackness. It didn’t need to be. We all looked the same in Trinidad. If someone didn’t like me, it never crossed my mind that it was because of the colour of my skin. It must have been because of something else. Maybe it was my hair or the clothes I wore?
My two black sons are growing up in a very different society. One where some will judge them by the colour of their skin. When Sai goes out with his friends we tell him that his decisions and actions represent an entire race. That’s a big responsibility for a teenager. A teenager who will inevitably make mistakes. We tell him not to instil fear but to encourage wisdom, self awareness and responsibility for others who follow.
Thankful for Rob and the guidance that he gives both by example and experience of his own reality of growing up black in Canada. Praying that all boys of all races will have the same opportunity to speak live and love into their kids for generations to come.
Happy Father’s Day I guess?
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