Authors Message:

To the Mothers and Fathers of Black and Brown Kings,

You have been tasked with the single most difficult job a Mother and a Father can have. To raise an African American boy into a man of character, integrity, grit, resiliency, resolve, self-thinking, thoughtful, kindness, bravery and self-awareness in a world increasingly hostile to his existence. You will feel what I feel everyday when he walks out the door, when you momentarily lose sight of him, when he has to navigate the world close but outside your reach: impotence; fear, a consternation of imploding emotions that only a Mother and a Father of Black and Brown sons know, feel and understand.You must prepare him for the world without fear: spiritually, educationally, physically, mentally. Do not allow anyone to hinder you from your appointed mission and doing the best you can.

With Honor,

Zakiya S. Powell