Gerald Early's Reading in Sykes

Hey everyone! Today I want to talk to you guys about Gerald Early. I went to his reading last night and really enjoyed myself. He read from his novel “Daughters” and also, a segment from an essay he wrote while in Turkey. His reading from “Daughters” was my favorite of the two. The passage he read described an incident that happen to him and his family in a shopping mall; He was approached and interrogated by a police officer because he fit the description of a man that look “suspicious” and was “lurking” around the mall. Early was obviously very offended by this accusation because he knew that he was being stopped and questioned solely because he was a black man. As he read last night, you could sense his hurt and embarrassment. I especially enjoyed the scene he described with his daughters (10 and 12 years old at the time of the incident). In this scene he’s trying to explain to his oldest daughter why he was stopped. “It’s because I’m black Linette. They don’t like your daddy because he’s black. They think I’m an animal!” he said to his daughter. His daughter gets very upset by this and does not want to talk about it.

Also, I was especially moved by the last paragraph of his reading. In this last scene, Early and his daughter are walking and she apologizes to him: “I’m sorry I wasn’t with you at the mall daddy. They would not have thought you were suspicious if they saw you walking around with a child”. Early replies, “Thanks Linette. It’s nice to know I have a daughter that can protect me”. This last sentence really moved me. How do you guys feel about this? How do you feel about the whole incident? Has it ever happen to you? Someone you knew?