So, in case you hadn’t seen our gender reveal video, Drea and I will be bringing a boy into the world. We’re extremely excited for our little Mango to be growing perfectly inside of her, bouncing around until his birthday. Although he doesn’t know it yet, his name is Lorenzo and the latest sonograms have him looking healthy and perfect. The 3D rendering still has him with his arms near his face so, he’s found a comfortable position but for a moment, we were able to see his face.
We know the dangers around us
Considering his size, he’ll fill out and grow to have a better image but for now, we’re happy that everything is 100% normal with him. Now, being a boy who will (at least partially) grow up in Arizona of Black and Mexican descent, he will constantly be a worry to us as parents. Drea and I are community activists and organizers who fight for equality for all people. We’ve seen those disenfranchised, discriminated against, harassed, bullied and even killed up close in our fight for justice, equality, and equity of Brown and Black people.
The elephant in the room
This world is under an illusion that since we have had a single Black president, who had been undermined in his popularity, effectiveness, and unification of people due to his race, somehow racism is dead…or dying. These same people have ignored the racism, separatism, discrimination, and outright lying of the next administration which swung to
A child is about to come into this world in 4 months who is half (build the wall) and
As a baby, he’ll be adored and loved by many who will coddle him but as he grows up, there are some with dwindling numbers who will see his dark skin as a threat to their existence. Lorenzo will be our largest accomplishment and at the same time, our biggest worry. The protection of all of our friends will be mandatory in the same way we fight for others. I can’t assume the police will suddenly stop discriminating against Black people. I can’t assume Arizonans will suddenly look for solutions to immigration other than targeting and deporting them followed by a wall.
Parental fear is real
I’d often wonder how my parents were able to navigate and breathe sighs of relief when aware of me walking around town, or living in Brooklyn, or moving to Las Vegas, or traveling abroad….without freaking out! I suppose you have to instill something in your children when encountering the world who is partially rooting for their success and at the same time, rooting for their failure. Lorenzo won’t be any different in their eyes.
I’m hopeful for his future as there will be other children like him, Black, Brown, Asian, Native, Muslim, immigrants but also Blasian, Blaxican, swirled, and other mixes. His generation will be widely diverse and colorful. My hope is for those who don’t accept who he is to die off with their racist generations in droves. It’s harsh but this world is big enough to embrace him, allow him to thrive, build his brand, and simply exist in this nation without someone calling the cops on him for barbequing, shooting at him for playing his music loudly, shooting him for knocking on someone’s door accidentally or for help, or a cop shooting at him asking to reach for his wallet, or worse…for sitting there.
The world is changing. Thank God!
This is the world I grew up in. I’m hoping Lorenzo and those born after him have a more understanding and acceptable world where he can exist, love, smile, without a threat of someone treating him like an “other”…the way this country often treated his parents. And our parents. And their parents…
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