Being A Mother To African American Sons In America

BEING A MOTHER TO AFRICAN AMERICAN SONS IN AMERICA By Pamela Junior, Director of Two Mississippi Museums

As a mother of two sons, both in a world of prejudices, injustices, implicit biases, detrimental to their existence in a country that was built by the ancestors, my heart bleeds. My heart bleeds because these beautiful black souls are the fruits of my lions. These descendants of kings and queens, the legacies of Mother Africa, and yet I must teach them how to survive in a world that doesn’t want to love them, because of the color of their skin.

I question America and myself! As a single mother raising boys in Mississippi, I have to admit that it hasn’t been easy. People often tell me that I made raising two native sons of the South look easy. The truth is that I had a village of amazing women and men who helped me along the way. I was never too shy in asking for help from people who I felt were sincere in investing in my children’s whole being. I also had the spiritual guidance from the heavens, their grand-parents, who helped me navigate through my own yesteryears of development.

Since the recent deaths of George Floyd and other black men, my mind drifts often to the many African boys who were kidnapped by slaveholders and placed in the belly of ships to never feel the warmth of the women who bore them. I also think of a little boy, named Emmett, who was tortured to death in the darkness of the Mississippi Delta.

I worry about my sons. I’m on my knees probably praying the same prayer that my mother and grandmother prayed for me and my siblings. I worry about them, because I taught them to stand up when confronted with injustices and be vocal! I taught them to understand their greatness and to relish in it, but stay humble at all times.

Recently, a young lady walked into my office and wanted to talk about motherhood. I was a little taken aback because I never shared my love for my sons or ever talked mom-talk with her. She asked me how did I accomplish such a major feat? My answer, the village came first, make sure you acknowledge that you may need help. With your children, start infiltrating their little minds with self-love and a love for others. Create conflicts and teach them resolutions. Assist them with maximizing their full potential.

Photo by: Jay Deville Johnson

These were just a few of the nuggets that I gave her. My last comment to her was, “I may not be around to help them think through every chapter of their lives, but hopefully I’ve given them good ground to maneuver on.”

My heartbeats are grown now. Black men are still fighting for equality, fighting for their constitutional rights as an American citizen. I know my sons are equipped to handle it, the pride rooted in their blood helps to give them that chance to win.