Toure: "Walking While Black" Is A Crime In This Country
TOURE: These are messages that black parents have been giving to their sons for decades now. The messages that I got when I was a young man about the world is looking for you to do something wrong and, you know, what Obama talked about in his first autobiography, making no sudden moves. Mollifying all of those around you will go a long way to help you survive being a black teenager in this country.
My parents told me, don't run in public if you don't have to. If the police should stop you, you know, you want to be sort of pliant and we're going to figure it out later. When you're walking in stores, keep your hands out of your pockets. You don't want to give them a reason to be suspicious of you because they are already suspicious of you because you are walking while black, which apparently is a crime in this country.
So those messages are happening in all sorts of black homes throughout America, have been happening for decades and it is just a reminder to so many black parents we need to continue to give our sons those messages which is not on to say that Tracy and Sybrina did not give those messages to Trayvon, that they did anything wrong. I'm not blaming the victim here but we need to arm our kids with the information they are suspects until proven innocent.
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