A mother’s plea to her son after the Zimmerman verdict

After a sleepless night following a phone conversation over the George Zimmerman verdict, my mother wrote a letter explaining her hopes and fears for me as a black man in America.

Me at age 12 with my mother. (Jamil Smith)

Moments after a jury declared George Zimmerman not guilty of second-degree murder last week in the killing of Trayvon Martin, my mother told me over the phone to never wear a hoodie again. She lives less than a half-hour’s drive from the Florida town where Zimmerman shot and killed Martin last year. Martin was 17, unarmed, and wearing a hoodie. After our phone call, my mother couldn’t sleep. She wrote me a letter that night.

“I love you so very much and wish that I could protect you from the ugliness of this racist society,” she wrote. “All I can do is pray that God will continue to wrap you in a cocoon of protection.”

My mother explained her hesitance in becoming a mother, fearing that her child would experience racism and discrimination.

“I could foresee the injustices that would be heaped upon my child, by people that saw him only as inferior, no matter his qualifications,” she said. Nevertheless, she went on to tell me how proud she was of the fact that I’d grown into a strong man.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

I’ve long been familiar with the notion of blackness being potentially dangerous in this society. As my buddy Cord Jefferson of Gawker wrote, the Zimmerman verdict didn’t tell black American men anything we didn’t already know.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

“Please, please, please, please be vigilant, and be cognizant that, although it is totally unfair, you must always be aware that your skin color makes you a target. Act accordingly, but stay strong,” she wrote.

“I love you more than life itself,” my mom said. “You give my existence meaning. With gratitude, hugs, kisses, and everlasting love, Your Mom.”

We want your stories of how you chose to talk to the young people in your life about the verdict in the George Zimmerman trial. Submit them to MHPmail@msnbc.com, tweet at #caringforchildren, or write to us at our Facebook page.Be sure to read the Terms of Submission before you do.