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And I fear for his life

This is not a genealogy blog post today.

Not exactly.

It’s certainly a family blog post.

And it is one of a desperate fear.

A fear on behalf of a little boy The Legal Genealogist loves as deeply as it is possible to love a little boy.

A fear for his life.

Not because of the boy he is.

Bright.

Funny.

Curious.

Captivating.

But because of the way the world will see the man he will become.

His name is Martin.

He is my great nephew.

And the world will see him, simply, as black.

He will be at risk in ways that have nothing to do with being bright or funny or curious or captivating.

He will be at risk because of fears that have nothing to do with the contents of his character or the nature of his soul.

He will be at risk because he will be perceived as different.

He will be at risk because of the color of his skin.

As he grows from being a little boy into being a man, we will have to teach him things we do not have to teach his cousins.

Not because he is less than they are.

Not because he is worse behaved.

Not because he is more of a danger to anyone else.

But solely because of the color of his skin.

He is my great nephew.

His name is Martin.

And I want him to live.

Martin

SOURCE: Instagram, user pettywalk 713, The Infamous Dr. Chris Walker

So tell me… how do I begin to protect the life of this child I love so dearly? And how do I help protect all the lives of all the children we are losing not because of who they are, but because of the color of their skin?

Because his name is Martin.

And I want him to live.