Lonnie Chavis sounds wise beyond his years in an essay about what it means to be a “12-year-old Black boy” in America.
This is because the This Is Us star, who plays the younger version of Randall Pearson on the ABC drama, has been subject to fear that no child should ever face.
From encounters with cops to experiences in Hollywood, Lonnie shared his stories in a moving essay published by People on June 17 amid the Black Lives Matter movement. “My life matters, but does it?
America paints a very clear picture of how I should view myself. America shows me that my Blackness is a threat, and I am treated as such,” Lonnie began. “I actually didn’t learn about being Black and what that would mean for me until I was 7 years old.
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