JAYFORCE

Man, this ain’t the only work that StoryCorps is doing; but wow, capturing stories like these is so important! I can remember my late Grandma living across the street from a dear friend who had vivid memories of the earliest of Jim Crow times… but she NEVER spoke about it. When asked, she would quickly offer a monotone “we don’t talk about those times” response bereft of any emotional content. The truths and experiences that neighbor could have shared; but she didn’t want to. Respect shout to StoryCorps for giving a platform to those who want to share… in this case who NEED to share… even when the story is soooo AWFUL.

Alex Landau, an African American man, was raised by his adoptive White parents to believe that skin color didn’t matter. But when Alex was pulled over by Denver police officers one night in 2009, he lost his belief in a color-blind world — and nearly lost his life. Alex tells his mother, Patsy Hathaway, what happened that night and how it affects him to this day.

– @ojones1

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