I’ve been traveling abroad since I was 16 years old. Thanks to parents who ensured culture, history, and the desire to learn more was implemented into my life, I had a privileged upbringing. This was by design on my parent’s part and I recognized it early on when visiting my cousins and family members who grew up in harder parts of the United States – particularly where my parents grew up. They had a plan to gain the education and expose their children to as much of the world as posssible.
Learning about other cultures
So, I took advantage of the lessons taught by my parents and explored Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Italy, England, Canada, Caribbean Islands and more – many, multiple times. I saw a difference in those places. How I was treated, their educational systems, the preserved history, and how many rebounded from turbulent histories and recognized atrocities they wouldn’t otherwise want repeated.
There will always be racism all over the world and my next goals is to visit African nations, particularly Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Egypt, and Ghana. I’d do a disservice to myself and my son if I bypassed where life’s history began and where my ancestors on the West Coast of the continent likely came from 400 years ago. To experience places where I would have such an unlikeliness of experiencing racism would be divine! The protections I have for my son at this point has been magnified over the last nine months. So, let me explain why I feel the United States isn’t the place to raise Lorenzo.
Lesson learned for myself
Since visiting Germany back in the late 80’s, I came back different. I had only spent 3 weeks there, met a life-long, wonderful friend who lived across the street, and nothing was the same. At one point during our friendship, she allowed me to tag along with her to her high school. I was flabbergasted at what they were studying. I was 3 years older and was about to go to college in the fall. What she was studying seemed like American college level. On top of that, these students were all fluent in English already. Science, chemistry, languages,..but on higher levels. I took notice and was only 18 years old at the time.
The kids there were excited to meet “The American”. Not “the Black guy” like I was used to in the States. But they saw my experience as different because of where I was from, not who I was. I was able to let my guard down for a little bit and not be defined by my race first. It was refreshing considering all of these kids were White. I still kept a little cautious but nothing like when I was home. This allowed me to explore more. I noticed their crime rate was lower than ours. The people were friendlier. The food was fresh daily and few things were microwaved first.
As I grew up, I was able to assess things differently from different countries. So, fast forward to today. Ironically, during our visit to Europe together
for the first time, Drea and I conceived Lorenzo in Paris. What better place to conceive a child than in the City of Lights? At the same time, the yellow-vest protests occurred. This violent protest happened the next day so we would time how many weeks Lorenzo was in utero on the weekends the protests would occur. As far as I know, they still happen in smaller waves but consistent each weekend. That alone, the desire for people to protest every week for an issue shows how dedicated they are to a mission. Here, in the USA, a terrible tweet from Trump’s account has a 24-hour news cycle and interest.
But even during those protests, the police largely kept their cool despite being tossed rocks, fire tossed at them, and more. They didn’t fire first and collect bodies later. They kept their cool. Here, in the United States, a gathering of Black people is almost considered a terrorist threat. Trump’s supporters are trying to establish Black Lives Matter on the Terrorist Watch List despite them never organizing to kill anyone – only to bring awareness to police violence. The president is the number two enemy toward Black people after
Police Killings
Police killings in the United States are off the charts compared to any other industrialized country. Participation is voluntary by the police department so even the numbers registered are probably lowered. This is all caused to the accessibility each American citizen has to guns. An estimation in 2017 says civilian-owned firearms in the US was 120.5 per 100 residents. There are more guns than people in the . This is where my son, a Black and Mexican boy, is supposed to be raised?
Consider this: According to the Washington Post database of police shootings, there had been 390 people killed by police as of June 11 of this year! That is 390 funerals and families affected. Police don’t have anything to fear since they investigate themselves mostly and are entwined into the legal system that protects them. Since 2005, 98 police officers had been arrested and only 35 convicted. And Black men are disproportionately shot by police. Harvard studies in 2018 showed Black men aged between 15 and 34 were nine and 16 times more likely to be killed by police than any other group. How unsettling is that? Not only to be a Black American but to raise one? It’s extremely distressing how I could be losing my son to a killer who feels he’s protected regardless of the outcome. And it’s proven he is.
Mass shooters run amok
Besides killer cops, this nation, which proudly totes it’s gun use has a mass-shooting problem. In this last week alone, there have been three large ones and the reasons vary but some are extremely troubling! The Gilroy Garlic Festival in California was about relaxing with family, buying up garlic, and listening to music. Instead, 19-year old Santino William Legan took it upon himself to show up with an AK-47 type weapon and kill three people and wound 12 others. But it hits harder when you see the people struck down included 6-year old Stephen Romero and 13-year old Keyla Salazar. These two children just wanted to enjoy family time and our open-gun policies allowed a psycho to kill them along with 25-year old Trevor Irby.
A few days later, in El Paso, TX, another White supremacist terrorist feels the need to kill people. 21-year and wounded 20 others at or near a Walmart. Before killing, Crusius, a Trump supporter, posted up a manifesto speaking of a “Hispanic invasion of Texas” and how it warned of White people being replaced by foreigners. His motivation was inspired by hatred – very similar to Trump’s speeches and views of migrants coming from south of the border. Why would I want my son exposed to this terror and largely ignored
A few hours later, in Dayton, OH, Connor Betts, a 24-year old man shot and killed nine unsuspecting people and injured 26. Yet another White terrorist shooting people. The signs were there as he wrote a hit-list in high school at some point of people he wanted to shoot from bullying. But his access to rapid-killing firearms was easy enough to do it considering the inaction by right-winged politicians who value their guns more than human lives. So, what do you think they’d care about my Black/Brown son? Not a damn thing! So, what’s the allure of raising a child in the United States?
Our healthcare system is terrible
compared to other developed countries and we pay more than most. Our police shoot disproportionately at Black men. Our president hates Latinos and is an overall racist. His supporters are worse since they’re listening to him and actively killing people or berating them for speaking anything other than English
What about my own?
And let’s get honest about the crime upon ourselves. It’s a Right-side/Republican automatic response about . That’s just nature and let’s face it, White Republicans don’t care about Black people killing themselves. But after all we’ve endured by the hands of White
You always hear of the victim of a violent crime being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Innocent victims of gun violence due to irrational people accessing firearms and the assailant having horrible aim always results in so many many more families grieving.
What’s the upside of living in the US?
Why would I want my son raised in the United States? What’s the benefit? Drea wants him here because of family and I understand that wholeheartedly. I know the value of being near family, your culture, and a support system that will do anything to protect him. I love that! But for me, the reality is he currently has a target on his back by a future cop out there who is probably in 5th grade at the moment hanging out with his parents as they watch Fox News analysis during a Donald Trump rally.
This is a dangerous world but I’d love to reduce that risk as much as possible so Lorenzo can speak three languages fluently, know his history, visit countries related to his upbringing, have great healthcare and education at little to no extra cost, and world experience to build a better future safely and away from indoctrinated White terror cells. The alternative is too scary to think about and too many parents out there have lived it. Physically removing ourselves from the danger would give Lorenzo a better chance to survive and thrive.
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