Thoughts re: Derek Chauvin Verdict

Below are some words that I shared with my Author Community. I felt it was appropriate to share more broadly.

Hello Author Community!

Yesterday was a big day. I am concerned with justice as a soon to be law school graduate and black man. Black Excellence was written as I thought about how to deal with the deaths of Kobe Bryant and George Floyd. I knew my wife, and I were going to have a son, and I was going to need to prepare him for life. I wanted him to understand a different narrative than the one that has been painted for black people, thus Black Excellence was born.

If you ever notice, in those trials, they always attempt to attack the character of the black person as if that applies to the incidents in question. This society will put a black person on trial in the wake of his/her own murder. This is not exclusive to court. When I was studying abroad in the UK, at a soccer game, an Asian couple came up to me and asked me if I was a rapper and said I looked like Will Smith. I look nothing like Will Smith. Where did they get the idea that I was a rapper? The media and popular culture have only given black men the category of being entertainers, so that is all they thought I could be.

So with that in mind, I wanted to show my son, and the world the myriad of things that black people have excelled in. For Black Excellence, I have interviewed a doctor, lawyers, a judge, a real estate investor, a real estate developer, entrepreneurs, executives, CPAs, and so much more simply because black people cannot be contained within a box of societies preconceived notions. I, as have many people in the black community, have been categorized in the minds of people, but I wouldn't let them. I share that story in the book.

I also want to share with you that my campaign video was just released and you can see it here > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL9FBFtOnXE. Share amongst your networks. Please also think about justice and changing the narrative because often the stories they tell about black people are not the full story, and it is time black people share our own stories and control the narrative. Thank you again for joining this journey of black excellence and changing the narrative.

- Jeff