For this Black mom, Ralph Yarl could have been her son

By KIA BREAUX
Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Being Black in a predominantly white American neighborhood can present many challenges. Some are deeply dispiriting, while others can be outright dangerous. That’s what happened earlier this month when 16-year-old Ralph Yarl was shot in his neighborhood in Kansas City after he mistakenly approached the wrong front door. Associated Press writer Kia Breaux’s two sons share a school district with the teenager who was shot, and as a Black mom she felt deep anguish at the shooting. She also realized that it could easily have been her child. Nevertheless, she doesn’t regret that her family chose to live in the neighborhood. As she puts it, “you can’t run or hide from racism.”