Image zoom Credit: Illustration: Emma Darick.
In 2016, after watching the horrific viral videos of the deaths of two Black men, Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, I was angry, sad, and frustrated. As the mother of two Black boys one of whom is on the autism spectrum I was also motivated to make a change.
I invited 30 friends to join a private Facebook group I started named Moms of Black Boys United (MOBB United). My goal was to offer a safe space for all moms of Black boys to communicate concerns about their safety during encounters with law enforcement and others in authority. Within two hours, there were 1,000 members. By the end of the day, more than 21,000 moms from all across the country had joined.