Fathers Are Both Fearful and Hopeful About Children's Futures

WWW.TRIANGLE TRIBUNE.COM State Board of Ed The Triangle sets guidelines for reopening schools By Greg Childress RIBUNE THE POLICY WATCH TTHE TRIANGLE’S CHOICE FOR THE BLACK VOICE School districts in counties where the threat of coronavirus in- fection is low should be allowed to operate differently than VOLUME 22 NO. 25 WEEK OF JUNE 21, 2020 $1.00 those in counties where the threat is greater, says Lt. Gov. Dan Forest. That line of thinking led the Republican gubernatorial candi- date to cast the lone vote last week against the state Department Another North Carolina of Public Instruction’s operational guidelines to help school districts reopen based on safety recommendations from the N.C. Central baseball Department of Health and Human Services. DHHS developed player signs contract the guidelines to keep students and school staff safe and to pre- vent the spread of the virus when they return to classrooms. with Major League Forest told State Board of Education colleagues that he couldn’t vote in favor of the plan because he opposes the Baseball. DHHS’s universal approach that requires school districts to reopen under the same safety plan, even if the coronavirus threat differs. “Obviously, there are counties that probably have no ac- tive cases right now, and you’re going to say they have to oper- Please see SCHOOLS/2A HAPPY FATHER’S DAY Kelvin Bullock and family celebrate his son's birth- day. COURTESY Larry Thomas talks with members of the Thomas Fredrick Davis III with wife, Josephine, and their children. Mentor Leadership Academy. Fathers are both fearful and hopeful about children’s futures By Freda Freeman 7 months. When Davis looks at nied access or denied growth, ceptions of them solely on they are as human beings. CORRESPONDENT his children, he sees limitless not because of lack of hard gender and skin color. We’re people of faith, and we possibilities. “I see them grow- work and determination, but “I fear the fear that people believe all people are created DURHAM – “The goal now for ing up, me nurturing them and because of society and the will have of him just as a in God’s image. So, my hope is me is for them to be free,” providing them all the oppor- limits put on me because of young black boy, young black that they will internalize that Fredrick Davis II recently tunities they need to be suc- the color of my skin. I hope by man in this society. I know and will see that they have di- posted on Facebook with a cessful,” he said. the time my children get to the that fear isn’t rational or justi- vine elements in them, as well photo of his children. Davis’ Unfortunately, Davis knows point where they are looking fied, it’s grounded in racism, as being human,” he said. words echo the sentiment of that society, in general, for jobs and educational op- white supremacy, and the fact Bullock, who is the executive African American fathers doesn’t see his children as he portunities, they will be that there are some people director for equity affairs for throughout the Triangle. does. judged by the content of their who see black kids as inher- Durham Public Schools, said Black fathers say the murder “Society currently puts a character and not the color of ently inferior. I look at my kids he is hopeful about the future of George Floyd, police brutal- stronghold on our black and their skin.” and know they aren’t inferior because he believes young ity, protests, demonstrations, brown men and women that The biggest joy Kelvin Bul- to anybody. They’re not su- people can change things. “As and civil unrest show how pigeonholes us and limits us lock gets from co-parenting perior to anybody either, but an educator, I meet a lot of deeply systemic racism is as far as access and opportu- his children – Zion, 9, and they’re definitely not inferior,” young people all the time who woven into the very fabric of nities. I hope that one day this Zaire, 6 – with wife Ronda is he said. give me reason to believe in a the country. They are fearful country can get to the point seeing their personalities, tal- Bullock said the most impor- better tomorrow. I believe yet hopeful things will change, where we see all children, all ents, skills, and interests de- tant thing he hopes his chil- young people are capable of but they realize change will men and women, are equal velop and getting a glimpse of dren have learned from he and amazing things. I think adults not come without a fight. and all will have the opportu- the adults they will become. his wife is their sense of need to yield to young people Davis and his wife Josephine nities, through hard work, to Bullock, too, is fearful for his worth. “I hope we’re instilling more often. If we let them have three children: Fredrick achieve their dreams,” he said. children, particularly his son, in them a strong sense of iden- have a voice in some of the III, 5; Lincoln, 4; and Ellington, “I know that I have been de- when people base their per- tity and affirmation in who Please see FATHERS/2A A state judge’s personal review of profiling By Vinston Rozier the people they charged. ference in New Bern, I he backed up in the mid- of “yes. I know. You’re would look at me like I had Some . I’m fine never spent time catching up dle of the street, turned on SPECIAL TO THE TRIBUNE doing this because you’re committed some crime, seeing them again. with friends. When it was his lights and drove di- a racist who is just profil- like I had done something When I graduated from As a part of our continu- time to leave, I proceeded rectly to where I was walking me for walking while wrong, like I deserved this. law school, I began work- ing education, prosecutors to walk back to my car. I ing. black.” Some things are I recall how demoralized I ing as an as- from across North Caro- was walking on the side- He exited his vehicle, ap- better left not said, felt as I experienced a sistant lina would attend confer- walk. I was not walking in proached me, and told me though. truth I already knew, that district attor- ences to keep us up to between cars in the park- that in the past there had He had me sit on the attending and graduating ney in Wake date with changes in the ing lot. There were no been some break-ins in the curb while he ran my li- from UNC and law school, County. That law and how to do our alarms going off. It was a parking lot. He asked for cense through his system. that serving as prosecutor, job gave me jobs better. This was often peaceful and joyful night my identification and in- (A process I was familiar that being an overall nice the opportu- like a reunion of sorts be- from my perspective. quired why I was there. with from countless of- guy with flaws, that noth- nity to work cause of the opportunity Then, I saw a police of- When I let him know that I ficers in countless trials ing gave me immunity Rozier with law en- to see old friends from ficer drive by at the end of was there as an assistant explaining their actions.) I from this treatment as forcement of- college, law school or our the street. For me, this was district attorney, basically guess he wanted to see if long as my pigment was ficers from various new prosecutors class. In no big deal. I had no con- to learn how to better this self-proclaimed assis- just as God had intended. different agencies. As with fact, it was at a District At- cern, for I had done noth- prosecute people who tant district attorney had I reflected on feeling like any profession, some in torneys Conference that I ing wrong. I actually break into cars, his re- any outstanding warrants. nothing – not even the law enforcement were was first introduced to the considered that the officer sponse was “then you But what I remember most Constitution – was a shield more professional than Dave Chappelle Show! in the patrol car may have know why I’m doing this.” aside from his words, was as long as my race was vis- others. Some were more One day, after our ses- been involved with our My thoughts at the time how embarrassing it felt respectful, both to me and sions were over at a con- conference. That is, until were more along the lines as every car that drove by Please see PROFILING/2A Index 5007 South Park Drive, Suite 200-G Publisher: Gerald O. Johnson Follow The Tribune on News 1A Religion 5A Durham, NC 27713 Managing Editor/Sports Editor: Bonitta Best Classifieds 4A Sports 6A (919) 688-9408 Advertising: Linda Johnson Focus 8A © 2020 The Triangle Tribune www.triangletribune.com 2A NEWS/The Triangle Tribune Sunday, June 21, 2020 A state judge’s personal Fathers fearful and review of profiling hopeful on kids’ future Continued from page 1A with me that he has not my experience shapes my ible. I realized that noth- told his wife of his ordeal fuller view of the world. It Continued from page 1A place of their dad.

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