Here is my story, for what it is worth:

Although I am the "whitest" person in my family, I seem to get into the most trouble with the police. And yes, I am painfully aware that the rest of my family would not be so fortunate, and I would probably not be alive to tell this story if my skin was darker.

One day, I saw a police bulletin about a suspected serial rapist in our neighborhood. The picture accompanying the bulletin looked nothing like my youngest son, except the skin color, age and gender. I immediately got on the phone to warn both my wife and son, for different reasons. I reached my wife, but my son did not pick up my calls. I knew he was going to walk to the gym, through the same blocks where the rapes were reported.

When I got home, I confronted my son about ignoring my calls and going to the gym despite my warnings. "I know you're my Dad" he said. "But I will always be Black. I can't stay in my room for the rest of my life."

There was a long pause. As a Dad, I thought seriously about how that might work. I didn't say anything, but he could see on my face what I was thinking. That fear of a father has not abated - it has only grown worse. I feel it every time one of my sons (all now grown) goes out.

When I saw George Floyd under the knee of the police, I saw one of my own sons dying for air. That is what I believe we must all open ourselves to do — realize that an injury to one is an injury to all. I believe Racism must be fought with its opposite — Solidarity.