Every day, I take my dog Max for a stroll around our neighborhood, often with my daughters, Lily and Mia, by my side. While this may seem like a simple routine, I must confess: I would be terrified to take these walks without them. In fact, in the four years I’ve lived in our home, I’ve never ventured out alone for a walk, and I likely never will.
Some may think I’m exaggerating or “playing the race card” (whatever that means), but this is my reality. When I walk hand-in-hand with my little girls and our fluffy dog, I’m just a devoted dad trying to escape the monotony of pandemic parenting. However, without them, I can feel the shift in perception. Suddenly, I’m not just a father; I’m a 6’2″ athletic black man wearing a cloth mask in a neighborhood where I don’t seem to fit (even though I’m simply looking to enjoy my surroundings).
It’s both exhausting and disheartening to feel that I can’t walk outside by myself without being seen as a potential threat.
If you’re surprised by this, don’t be. We live in a society where many people still deny the existence of racism and dismiss the concept of white privilege as a political correctness fantasy. Despite high-profile instances like George Floyd, Christian Cooper, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor—along with countless others—the message still isn’t sinking in for some.
Let me share a few critical points:
- White privilege doesn’t mean your life is easy; it simply indicates that your skin color isn’t one of the factors making life harder. For example, if you’ve never worried about being reported to the police (or worse) for simply birdwatching, that’s a privilege many people of color, myself included, do not have.
- Responding to “Black Lives Matter” with “All Lives Matter” is tone-deaf and dismissive. The truth is, all lives can’t matter until black lives matter.
- Racism is real and pervasive, not confined to extreme groups. The incident with Amy Cooper shows it exists even in liberal spaces.
- Reverse-racism is a myth; please refrain from using that term.
- To make progress against racism, white allies are crucial. If you’ve read this far and care, please continue to speak up, even if it’s uncomfortable for some of your friends and family. Your voice matters to people of color now more than ever.
- If you’re white and choose to remain silent on these issues, I honestly don’t know what to say. If these injustices don’t inspire you to take a stand, what will? It raises the question: why be my friend? If you won’t advocate against actions that could endanger me, it’s hard to believe you genuinely care.
As for me, I’ll keep walking these streets hand-in-hand with my eight-year-old, hoping she’ll help keep her dad safe. It might sound strange, but that’s the world we live in today.
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Summary
Walking my dog in my neighborhood with my daughters is a necessity for my safety. The perception of me changes without them, highlighting the uncomfortable reality of racism. It’s crucial for allies to speak out, and I will continue to hope that my daughters help keep me safe in a world that often sees me as a threat.
Keyphrase: walking my dog in a safe neighborhood
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