House Call
Son You Matter
An unfortunate truth is if one watches the news for any period of time, there’s a decent chance that person will hear of a news story of an altercation between a black male and the police. Whether it’s being shot down in plain site or witnessing “an innocent aggressor” evade consequences for making decisions based off of suspicion, these news stories, though informative, are also often devastating to a young black boy’s morale. “Is that all I am? Target practice? A life unworthy of justice if it’s taken?” are questions that many young black boys are often faced with on a daily basis. Best-selling author, Derrick Jakolby Washington, is choosing to use May’s Mental Health Awareness Month as an opportunity to affirm black boys in his book: Son You Matter.
Son You Matter was written during the period of the George Floyd protests in order to counter the media’s new stories of death among black youth with a story that both challenges and affirms black men, both young and old. Some may say, “Oh that isn’t happening anymore,” but the stories of Ryan Gainer, 15 (Source: The Guardian – shot by police), Senior Airman Roger Fortson, 23 (Source: NBC News – killed in apartment by police), Frank Tyson, 53 (Source: AP News – knee was placed on the back of the neck until he died while arrested), Samuel Sterling, 25(Source: Fox 17 – 25yr old killed by police officer and deemed “an accident”), Kadarius Smith, 17 (Source: People Magazine – Police department “accidentally” ran over his body), and countless others show differently.
So Washington is spending this Mental Health Awareness month to focus on the revitalization, and the recharge of black men through his book, Son You Matter.
