Lawrence Otis Graham is a successful lawyer, and his wife an investment banker. They are both Harvard graduates, and the parents of three children. They live a comfortable life. However, Graham’s greatest fear in life is that his black sons will be racially profiled and killed by police. He and wife thought long and hard, and feel they have created a plan to thwart such an occurrence.
His boys are not allowed to wear anything that would make them appear to associate with any criminal activity. In Graham’s eyes, this means no hoodies, dark clothing, jeans or t-shirts. His boys wear khakis, polo shirts, vests and button downs at all times. The only hood you will see in their home is on a rain coat.
Graham believes by having them dress a certain way it will protect them from being targeted by police and society in general. The decision was sparked by the shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Florida back in 2012.
“We realized that could be our own sons, and that we needed to have the conversation. We’re black, we’re black! But we have to address it in certain ways by making sure we’re wearing certain clothes that might suggest we are part of the criminal element,” said Graham.
What do you think? Do you feel Graham’s decision is beneficial to his children? Watch the short video below and share your thoughts with us!
I can’t imagine what it must feel like to fear for your sons lives in this way. I have one daughter, and we are not black, so there is no way I could understand. I commend these parents for teaching their children to dress and behave well – lessons that would benefit children of any race.
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