The recent killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and others have brought violence and racism against black Americans to the forefront of political and social conversation.
Data from the advocacy group Mapping Police Violence shows that black Americans are at an increased risk of being killed by police, accounting for 24% of all people killed by police in 2019, despite making up only 13% of the nation’s population. The U.S. Department of Justice also reports that the victims of almost half of all homicides and 15% of all nonfatal violent crimes in 2005 were black.
On this episode of Talk of Iowa, mothers, fathers and grandparents of black Iowans talk to Charity Nebbe for a look at the reality of raising black children in a racist America.
Guests include:
- Joshalyn Johnson, cohost of North End Update, mother and grandmother living in Waterloo
- William Muhammad, administrative behavioral support in the Waterloo School District, head girls’ basketball coach at East High School, cofounder of the Impactt Foundation and father and grandfather living in Waterloo
- Deandrea White, co-organizer of Call to Action, Protect Our Black Youth and Lift Up Our Black Communitysocial media advocacy group and mother living in North Liberty
- Kesho Scott, associate professor of American studies and sociology at Grinnell College, mother and grandmother living in Grinnell
