Not just my parents, but my aunts, uncles, camp counselors and scout leader. They certainly didn't sugarcoat anything. Stories about the racist cops, Frank Rizzo, racist people at their jobs, the racist army, racist people in northeast Philly, the racist justice/jail system, racist Reagan & the government, the racist USA, etc.

The stories from their past were crazy too. Scout leader said when he was a kid in Philly, the cops once drove down the street real slow, and the cop in the passenger seat leaned out the window and pointed a shotgun at them. Held aim on them for a while, then drove off laughing.

Philly was quite segregated growing up, so a lot of stuff they taught me was right in front of my face. Almost everyone I interacted with daily was Black. Occasionally, when I'd be in a non-Black environment and people were treating me coldly or like shit, the reason was pretty obvious.

When I went off to college in '94 I had my oldest aunt warn me to stay away from the white girls. Wasn't hate, she was concerned for my safety.