My younger son, Phillip is my early bird and wakes up around 5 o’clock every morning. In the past, this is the time he would walk our dog Cooper. But since rehoming Cooper (due to his sister’s allergies), Phillip hadn’t done his neighborhood walk at all. This morning he stated he wanted to go back to his old routine.

Pause. Ponder. The protective black momma in me was not feeling this. At all. Horrible, I know. Sad, for sure. But still, a reality. My reality. You see our neighborhood is large, quiet and spread out; but still surrounded by some hustle and bustle. Our backyard is 1/2 a block from a major street that spans the entire city. Three blocks south is a major interstate. It’s a pretty safe neighborhood with medium to very upscale homes, but there have still been break-ins. And robberies. On any given day you may see a non-resident cutting through our side streets to possibly shorten a route to their own destination. Just a year ago our back door was kicked in around 3am and thank goodness our alarm sounded scaring the intruder away. It was a very scary moment.

So when my beautiful 6’3” caramel brown baby boy innocently wants to take an early morning stroll, I tell him it’s not a good idea. Am I overly paranoid? Maybe. But…maybe not. It only takes one neighbor “fearing for her life” to call the police. It only takes one car driving by and feeling my son “doesn’t belong” in the neighborhood. It only takes one person sharing the sentiments of our very own Commander In Chief to believe my son and anyone who looks like him should just “go back to their own country”.

When my son used to walk our beautiful golden doodle, it humanized him. It softened him. It lessened the threat. There were always women jogging or moms pushing babies in strollers. They smiled. They waved. They exchanged “hellos”. He was just a boy with his dog.

Now he was a black man walking. Alone. And in the eyes of many..an immediate threat. Please remember we live in a country where just being black can get you followed in a shopping mall, escorted from a Starbucks, and even killed while walking home eating skittles. Stand your ground laws would justify someone claiming to “protect their property” by any means necessary. Sigh.

Next week my son starts his first chapter into adulthood at Howard University. I know there will be many times he will take the opportunity to explore his new city; our nation’s capital. Of course we have had “the talk” a million times and I believe he knows how to handle himself if ever approached by police. But, this momma of two amazing, intelligent, and compassionate young adult black men still worries. Every. Single. Day. Let me repeat that. Every. Single. Day.

So I bundle up his sleeping little sister and lay her in her wagon. And this time, we walk the neighborhood… together.