'I had to tell my little boy that you can't run in our neighborhood,' says Minnesota state Rep. Ruth Richardson. 'I need you in a track uniform and I need you running with other people — because even with that, you could still be seen as a threat.'
Running track feels like freedom.
Shawn's mother is Minnesota state Rep. Ruth Richardson. She represents areas south of St. Paul, about 15 miles from where George Floyd was killed.Shawn Richardson, 17, is a high school junior in Minneapolis. School is fine, but what he really loves is track. To Shawn, running track feels like freedom.Shawn Richardson, 17, is a high school junior in Minneapolis. School is fine, but what he really loves is track. To Shawn, running track feels like freedom.He eats everything, she says.
"When Shawn was young — he's got a lot of energy. He's a runner, and all he wants to do is be outside. And I had to tell my little boy that you can't run in our neighborhood. If you're going to run, I need you in a track uniform and I need you running with other people, because even with that, you could still be seen as a threat," she says.But"you can't do the same things that your white friends do," Richardson remembers telling him.
"I feel like when I'm with them, it's almost like I feel like I'm really like one with them," he says."I just feel like I'm more safe in a way. I feel like I'm more safe with more people around me than if I'm alone."
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