Anne Janks
Oakland, CA
Many privileged white people who live in the Bay Area of California believe that there’s a high level of tolerance and little prejudice here. White moms steer their child away from a seat next to my 7 year old boy. We went to the county fair and the seat next to my wonderful boy was often the only empty seat. He didn’t notice, but soon he will. When he was a toddler, babysitters who were eager during an interview evaporated when they discovered he was black. I’m dreading his teenage years. I talk to my kids about how they must engage with police to stay safe. I raise a 7 year with the expectation that he must be better behaved than children of other races. I love my son but it saddens me to watch his engagement outside of black community. I’m writing this the week that the Supreme Court eliminated the Voting Rights Law, because we’re all so “post-racial.”
