07/23/2026
I wish for you what you wish for Black families.
Hopefully that means Black boys getting to grow into old men — graduating, falling in love, growing gray, instead of being memorialized before 40.
Hopefully that means Black mothers surviving childbirth, being listened to and affirmed by doctors, being supported by educators and employers, receiving real care instead of receiving platitudes about a maternal health crisis that’s been ignored for generations.
Hopefully that means people respecting Black bodily autonomy — not touching Black women’s hair, respecting their health decisions, their right to say no and be heard.
Hopefully that means Black trans people getting to live openly and safely, without violence, without being erased from the very community that should be protecting them hardest.
Hopefully that means a safe walk home, HARM-FREE safety officials and conflict de-escalation, and honest, respectful justice.
It means communities aren’t left grieving another neighbor’s death on video.
Hopefully that means fair housing, financial access, voting access, elder care, and ample community space.
Hopefully that means not being followed in stores, harassed by security, held back by teachers, bullied by administrators, and never having your children seen as inherently dangerous.
For us this means generational wealth instead of generational grief. Health instead of hypervigilance. Rest instead of resilience being the only thing anyone offers you.
If you’re not wishing those things for Black families — if “he had a knife” or “he ran” is where your compassion runs out — stop yourself right now and be better. There is no justification for this. The video is everywhere, and Black families have been speaking out about these horrors for far too long without accountability.
Our Black neighbors, colleagues, family, and friends deserve so SO much better.
[Yes, this design will likely be for sale, but we are waiting to hear more from our grieving hometown of Madison, Wisconsin, so we can be sure to send profits from this piece with respect to the family and community there.]
