I come from a long line of strong and angry Black women.

She was angry all of the time, and she said that being a Black mother in this country meant that you had to be prepared to fight every day: for your life and for the life of your children.

She believed that the greatest weapon that Black mothers had was our ability to survive the Whiteness of this world so that our children could one day defeat it.

She had one standing rule that had been passed down by every Black woman in my family: we protect the children.

She is sheltering at home in Baltimore City with her husband and their two sons.