How tough your son is to have grown with that memory! My son was 3 when he was called a "bigger" from another little girl who said, "my daddy doesn't want me to play with biggers." Imagine my horror when my son came home asking what a bigger was because little Brittney can't play with him. In 8th grade, he fought with a boy who outright called him 'nigger' on the playground. The boy told him he didn't like "his kind" and would make life hell for him. Of course, I pushed the envelope by raising him in predominantly white communities. Some of my black friends hinted that living there was a form of neglect. I think, however, that my son is all the better for it. What's more, he's been a positive influence in those white communities...helping them see that stereotypes don't fit everyone. I could never walk in my son's shoes. As a white woman, it's mission impossible. But I will speak up when I see injustice. Again, I hate labels!

As the mother of a black man, this scares the shit out of me! He's 19 with his life before him. Yet, even with a black president we all fought so hard to elect, standing in the forefront as a role model, there just seems to be far more for which a black man has to contend than we want to recognize. I've sat with white, rural friends while watching the show "Cops" and have been amazed with the comments that come from them. That said, I've also watched that show in the home of some of my black friends who live in Baltimore's Fayette Street projects. It's unbelievable what I've heard from them as well. I've also been among a group of culturally diverse, upscale folk who shake their heads while their eyes are practically glued to the set while watching the same show. Thing is, everyone has an opinion and yet none seem to have a clue about the root of the problem. Neither do they seem to want to be a part of the solution.

There are several things to consider with the Oakland incident as Mr. Samad effectively points out. Yet, the solution, in my opinion, will take more than a Petition project. I believe the answer lies in facing fear.

White people (anyone who is not black or dark skinned) have to get over themselves. We are not a society of supreme "races." We are a society of diversity. We have to accept that beauty and brains come in all shades. Labeling and stereotyping do nothing but alienate.

Eliminate labels. Rewrite the parole rules. A man who has served his time/fulfilled society's punishment for a crime should have a clean slate. No man, black or white, should have to write the word 'felon' on an application once he has paid the price for the crime he committed. Will we continue to judge them based on the past? As with the case of pedophiles...if you can't trust them to live in society without a label, then they should remain in a contained environment. (But that's a completely different battle.) Bottom line, we can't keep punishing a man/woman for a crime for which they've paid the assigned debt.

Start with the man/woman in the mirror. I'm no fan of Michael Jackson's, but you have to appreciate the lyrics to "Man in the Mirror." Imagine yourself in every situation you want to judge. Seriously, try it for a day. When you see yourself looking down upon a person (for whatever reason), put yourself in their shoes--just for a moment, consider that person's predicament. Every time I do that, I feel less than the person I'd like to be and quickly adjust my thinking.

If you're a cop, a businessman, a little old white lady, the father of a white daughter, please give my son a chance. Be nice to him. Give him the benefit of a doubt. Don't judge him based on your fears. He's a great young man with a most charming personality. Engage him in your conversation; he'll make you laugh. And if he happens to do something wrong, set him straight, but be fair. I promise, I'll do the same for your son.