By Hands and Feet Initiative Fellow, Marva Lowry…
If I could sketch
I would rough out a picture
that lingers with me.
The sketch would depict two small black boys —- walking
across the street
thru an open area
between two-story housing buildings.
A second sketch
would depict a quick embrace
of the older boy to the younger.
It would depict a conversation
that includes smiles and laughter.
Just like a rough sketch cannot tell the full story, there is no real way to tell in words without adding layers. Layers that are prescribed by living as a minority in America. Layers prescribed by watching the news and being observant as you enter and exit different spaces. These layers take away the innocence in the image I witnessed as a passenger heading home after another day in Baltimore. The image gave my roommate, partner in the Hands and Feet Initiative, and I a deep sense of joy and light-heartedness that we discussed briefly in the moment and days later. It is an image that truly impacted us.