Name: "You Have the Rite"
Uploaded: 2019-08-02T13:06:59Z
Duration: 7 min 4 s
Description: In a breathtaking, jazz-inflected spoken-word performance, TED Fellow Marc Bamuthi Joseph shares a Black father's tender and wrenching internal reflection on the pride and terror of seeing his son enter adulthood.

Marc Bamuthi Joseph: "You Have the Rite"

"You Have the Rite"

In a breathtaking, jazz-inflected spoken-word performance, TED Fellow Marc Bamuthi Joseph shares a Black father's tender and wrenching internal reflection on the pride and terror of seeing his son enter adulthood.

A father reflects on the mixture of pride and terror as his son turns 16 and begins to drive, inheriting both the sweet symbols of youth and the harsh realities of racial profiling. He recalls being handcuffed near his preschooler, fearing that his child’s last memory would be of waiting for a father who never arrived. The ritual of 'the talk' about surviving encounters with police becomes a silent prayer for safety every time his son gets behind the wheel. Through music, memory, and love, hope persists against the shadow of systemic danger.