Hilton Als wrote “My Mother’s Dreams for Her Son, and All Black Children” during a period when social upheaval ravaged black communities around the world. He discusses the 1967 shooting of a young black kid by a police officer, as well as his own experiences with discrimination, in this article. At the beginning of the article, Als writes “Standing by my mother’s living-room window, I tried, tentatively, to ask her why our world was burning, burning. She gave me a forbidding look: Boy, be quiet so you can survive, her eyes seemed to say.” Als recalls one of the first times his mother restrains his inquiry and urges him to stay quiet for his own good. According to his article, all his mother wanted was for her children to be protected, and she would go to any extent to ensure their safety. Despite the fact that she was continuously moving her family around different areas, Als’ mother made it a point to teach her children the value of stillness. Als and his family believed that by minding their own business and being quiet, they would be okay.

Als also says  “Like any number of black boys in those neighborhoods, I grew up in a matrilineal society, where I had been taught the power—the necessity—of silence.” Als demonstrates that in order to exist as African American, you must learn to be silent. We know this because POC families have to explain to their children how to interact with the police and how acting outside of their rules might cost them their lives. Growing up and witnessing his own mother silence him for the sake of safety upsets him because he believes it is unjust that white people cannot comprehend what African Americans go through to avoid being killed.

One quote that I found interesting was “No place was safe, because wherever we congregated was unsafe” After explaining his life and how his family was continuously moving from various locations, the author emphasized how none of them seemed safe to him. It’s heartbreaking to think that a young person couldn’t call a home “safe” because of the awful things that were going on in the neighborhood.