Interview With the Average Black American Joe: Interviews with the average (Black American...

Interview With the Average Black American Joe:






Interviews with the average (Black American...: Interviews with the average (Black American) Joe is a presentation series of questions and answers put to and answered throu...

Interviews with the average (Black American) Joe is a presentation series of questions and answers put to and answered through a characterization of an average American black man in today’s society.

Joe may not be real but the feelings and thoughts of the character express the reality of most black American men striving towards making a better way of life for themselves and their families.

These questions were presented in relation to social, political and personal viewpoints from Joe.

Interviewer: In light of today’s  shootings, beatings and deaths of Black Males as well as  Black Women in America by  police officers or while incarcerated what was it like for you growing up Joe?

Joe:

A typical day for the black male in the neighborhood where I grew up might involve walking down the street with a group of friends and having a police car do a slow by.

(police car creeping at about 5MPH)

It was a dreadful feeling because there was a 99% chance they would either back up or hang a U-turn get out and say... “Ya'll know what to do”.

Interviewer: Interesting but joe what do you mean when you say ya’ll know what to do?

Joe:

That meant grab some wall or some pavement and don't move.

Think about that quote for a moment "ya'll know what to do". We had first  become enlightened to this behavior by our parents telling us what and what not to do when confronted by the police.

Interviewer: How did you come to understand this lesson and how did it make you feel?

Joe:

Like so many things you learn through repetition.  Experiencing this behavior by being a person or witnessing  Other Black people in this situation made it instinctive to feel uncomfortable every time you would see the police. You would look for the nearest wall to grab or lay on the sidewalk.

Interviewer:Okay so get lay down on the sidewalk but so that I fully understand what do you mean grab some wall?

Joe:

For those who don't understand the term grab some wall it means just what it is grab some mutha f..king wall. Put your  face against the wall with your palms flat and spread your mutha f...ing legs.

Grab some pavement: Get your ass down on the ground face down hands out palms down.

Interviewer: I can’t imagine what that must have felt like.

Joe: I bet you can’t. (Slight laugh)

Interviewer: I get your point. Are you still uncomfortable when you see the police?

Joe:

I did not shake that feeling until well into my adult years. I still got pulled over a couple of times but it does not happen as often. I guess because I’m a lot older.

Interviewer: You think that has something to do with it? Your age.

Joe: I don’t know maybe it’s because I have grey hair now or because I’m not out as much. Maybe I’ve just been lucky.

Interviewer: You have two sons now if I’m correct?

Joe:

Yes when I became a father of two black males once they became of age I found myself having to explain the same lessons to them as was taught to me.

“Do not run from the police do not make any sudden moves watch your tone when or if you are told to speak”.

Interviewer: It seems the lesson has come full circle.

Joe: Fo sho.

Interviewer: So Joe now that we’ve addressed what growing up black in America was like for you. Seeing is what has transpired over the past years till today what would you say to to young black males and females today?

Joe: You will be looked at differently because you are black and presumed to have something to hide. It does not matter what you achieve in this world or how good of a person you are there are those who will only see the blackness of your skin and to them that's a crime in itself.

Be safe. Stay alive.

Written By:

          Larry D. Miller

Read previous interviews from our series interview with an Average Black American Joe
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