00:00Dear black women, or rather black moms, we've got a tough job.
00:09Sure, we're like most moms in America, juggling motherhood with our careers and trying to raise children who will grow up to be decent human beings.
00:17But one thing stands out for us. We all quickly learn that our children, especially our sons, are targets.
00:24Freddie Gray, Michael Brown, Kimani Gray, Oscar Grant.
00:29These are just a few of the names that have made national headlines, dying after interactions with the police.
00:35This week, as we watched some frustrated protesters in Baltimore turn what was days of peaceful protesting into looting and violence, one mom's fight for her son is all anyone's talking about.
00:46While some are calling Toya Graham the heroine of the Baltimore protests, others are not so quick to condone her methods.
00:53But what all moms can relate to is her sense of fear for her son.
00:57The single mom of six says she lost it when she caught her only son, 16-year-old Michael Graham, about to take part in protests.
01:05She wanted him to be safe and not become the next Freddie Gray.
01:09Graham later said that she often shields her son and keeps him in the house so he won't go outside and become a victim of the streets.
01:16How many of us can relate to this sentiment? How many of us can relate to the fear that runs through your body when your black son leaves the house?
01:24How the talk has nothing to do with the birds and bees, but all to do with how they should conduct themselves around police?
01:31Keep your hands out of your pocket, don't talk back too loudly, be extra polite, say yes sir, no sir, don't reach for anything, don't walk around with a huge group of friends, don't run, even if you're scared.
01:46Imagine, some of us are still having to tell our sons that in 2015.
01:51We do this because we love them.
01:53Toya Graham publicly unleashed a can of you-know-what on her son because she loved him.
01:58As Toya Graham showed the world, we often have to go the extra mile to protect our sons, and as we can see here, the world is often watching.
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