The article that we read, My Mothers Dreams for her Son and All Black Children, (I think) focuses on Hilton Als and what it felt like growing up in a time where a “domestic war” was about to break out. The quote “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,” appear near the beginning of the article and (I think) sums up their family’s (well.. mother’s) belief of how human rights should be achieved. Al’s mother believes that instead of riots and violence, they should stick to how Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X’s beliefs of giving peace in the community. I think because of her belief, she doesn’t want to get involved with people that don’t follow that certain belief. Another idea I have is that since she is a parent, she doesn’t want her children to be “misled” in the wrong direction. A parent’s job is to protect their children and not getting their children involved in things like riots and violence.

The quote, “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,” also stood out to me because of the way the author grew up. He grew up in an environment where people with power can judge you based on your actions. In the story that he told, many riots happen in their neighborhood. His mother taught him how to survive by not getting involved with people that view you as someone who doesn’t belong. It was shown through violent protest that it doesn’t work. People with power only see you only as a threat, not a citizen of the community. It is also worth noting that like many boys in the family, their goal is to protect their family, not to endanger their family.

Note: I actually had a difficult time understanding the text. If I made a mistake anywhere, please correct me.