We Bless Each Other With Safety In An Unsafe America
*The story contains African-American Vernacular English in the first two paragraphs of this article. You can read more about AAVE here.*
As I walked out of the 7-eleven in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, I said to an elderly Black man (who was drinking coffee, and smoking a cigarette while leaning against the front of the store):
“You have a nice day, sir. You be safe.”
“You too,” he said while smiling.
The Capitol Hill District, for part of its history, was an all-Black neighborhood, once filled with lawyers, doctors, and college professors. Now, it has returned to a majority of white neighborhoods with many of its homes, if not all, worth over $1 million. Police officers often hang out there. Sometimes they can be seen questioning and handcuffing some Black poor and unhoused people hanging out in front of the stores.
We had seen each other about 15 minutes earlier. He complimented me on my shoes as I walked into the store.
Growing up, I often heard family members tell each other to be safe as they departed. My mother still blesses me with those words. My family lives in Southern Maryland, a majority-white region. Being stopped by police officers, no matter the time of day, sometimes doesn’t end well. So before I exit the door…
