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It dawned on me that I prepare for my untimely death before I leave the house. I was taught to never leave the house without my ID. I’d need it in case I got stopped by the police.
The next part, I don’t think I was taught, but I added it on as another measure to make sure that I could be ID’d, alive or not.
I never leave the house without wearing jewelry. If you know me you know I always wear gold or silver. My earrings are usually hoops. My necklace is either an elephant or ankh. That way I’d have some effects on me in case somebody has to identify my body. That’s sad, but true.
Did I watch too many episodes of Unsolved Mysteries and Law and Order growing up? Tomorrow isn’t promised, but are non-black people prepped like this before they go out into the world?
This is heavy to carry everyday, but also necessary. This is the a side-effect of being Black. This is PTSD. This is America.
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