Hollywood
actress, Gabrielle Union shared this heartbreaking story of how her
father, a hardworking man who made a great impact to his community, was
harassed by the police just because of his skin colour. According to
her;
"My Dad is about 19 in this picture & fully
believed in the American dream. That if you just work hard & do the
right thing, serve your country, marry a nice girl, you will be
considered special, different.
So he joined the Army, got out &
married a nice girl and went to work and started a family. Both my
parents went to college at night & cleaned the daycare late at night
in exchange for free childcare. They moved to a "good neighborhood"
& slowly earned college degrees & got promoted. All the while
raising their 3 girls as well as other kids who needed homes and
guidance. He also coached our sports teams, mentored kids, officiated
games... and none of it mattered.
On his way
to work one morning driving out of our perfectly planned suburban
community in his Mercedes and rocking a tailored 3 piece suit, my father
was stopped, pulled out of his car in front of the entire neighborhood
and put spread eagle on the ground with guns pointed at him. They said a
convict had just escaped from a nearby jail. The guy they were looking
for was 20. My dad was balding in his 40s. When I see this picture of my
father I cannot help but think of #PhilandoCastile a good man who did
all the right things and was a father figure to so many...and none of it
mattered. On this day and every day know that we are not threatening by
birth. Do not demonize our breath. We are not to be feared. Our lives,
our children, our love... IT MATTERS! We matter. #BlackLivesMatter"
No comments:
Post a Comment