When Caitlin Walker brought her adopted son Wetu home to Peterborough from his native Congo, one of the first places she brought him was to the police station.
“Just because he’s black and he stands out and we wanted people to know he belongs,” Walker said. Wetu was just seven years old at the time, but Walker felt it was a necessary moment.
In the four years that has passed since Wetu joined his adopted family, Walker has seen first hand how the color of her son’s skin can alter the perception of others – even with him being a young child. On two separate occasions, Walker said Wetu has been stopped by police in New York City and Las Vegas while on vacation with the family.
“They just assumed he was by himself and assumed he was up to no good,” Walker said.
Walker described her feelings as furious that this could happen to “a little 10-year-old” and “that never would have happened to our white kids.”
And as the mother of a black child, Walker knows this type of concern unfortunately isn’t going away any time soon. They have talked to him about what to do if he is stopped by police and the first thing to do is put your hands up.
But as protests continue around the country and globe, including every Saturday in Peterborough and Dublin, Walker has hope. Hope for a future where her youngest child isn’t judged on the color of his skin and doesn’t have to live in a world where black men are being killed simply because they look different.
Since he’s only 11, Walker said she’s struggled with how much to discuss with Wetu.
“He needs to know and we can’t ignore his race, but it’s hard to know how much to tell him,” Walker said. “His first question was ‘am I safe?’ and that’s a hard question to answer.”
When Walker told him that she and Lucy, the family’s oldest child, were going to attend one of the protests in Peterborough, Wetu wanted to go. He made a sign that says ‘My Life Matters.’
“I hope a lot of people saw that,” Walker said.
Growing up in Peterborough, Walker said she didn’t fully understand white privilege and adopting a black son changed things for her.
“It’s made me more aware of racial issues in this country,” she said. “It’s something that needs to be talked about. Stuff needs to be done.”
Grace Aldrich too has had those conversations with her 9-year-old son Calvin. She showed him the video of Amy Cooper, a white woman who called the police on Christian Cooper, a black man birdwatching in Central Park. They talked about George Floyd and was aided in those talks by a class she took about talking to children about racism.
“We can’t leave our children to flail and figure out the stories,” Aldrich said.
Aldrich said the need for change has always been there “and whether or not this is it, I don’t know.”
“I feel excited about the prospects, but there’s so much uncertainty it’s hard to wrap your mind around how it will all unfold,” Aldrich said.
She views the protests locally as creating a space for people to reflect and, at least for herself, a place to process grief. She said her sister was recently pulled over outside of Boston and it let something go inside of her that has been accumulating.
Aldrich said that pandemic may have changed the way people view things. For many, it may be the first time where things have felt unsettled or uncertain, and brought about a heightened vigilance. But as a black woman, she feels like that all the time. She said it could provide people with a new perspective.
“That massive change can happen in a short amount of time,” she said.
She said she did not watch the video of George Floyd and stopped watching videos of black men being killed in 2014, calling them “too disturbing.”
Peterborough Police Sergeant Vint Boggis has been really bothered by the narrative that is associated with police officers. He said he’s heard comments around town that the department is racist and “I can say unequivocally that is not the case.”
He wouldn’t stand for it and wouldn’t work for a department that operates under those conditions, especially as the father of two young black men, he said.
When his sons Shane and Marcus were growing up, there were times when they were stopped for no apparent reason, and even got calls from dispatch to say the license plate in his car was being run.
Boggis said he had those important conversations with his sons about making sure their hands were visible if they were ever pulled over, and knows that his sons will need to have those same talks with their children. And it’s hard not to “worry for my grandkids,” he said.
His sons have been part of the recent movement, protesting against racial inequality and the message was simple: “I told them I’m proud of them.”
“I think they’re going to drive change that needs to happen,” Boggis said.
Boggis remembers his parents being a part of the Civil Rights movement, keeping him out of school to march, and completely understands the importance of people using their First Amendment rights to enact change.
Boggis said what he has seen on the news surrounding the recent killing of George Floyd and clashes between police and protestors has been hard to watch.
“It would be tough for me even if I didn’t have black children,” he said. “Unfortunately policing is a microcosm of society and there is racism in society.”
He said because of his role as a prosecutor, he has chosen not to take part in his effort to stay impartial, but supports everyone’s right and ability to speak up for change.
“I love to see people get involved, even with things I don’t agree with,” Boggis said.
He said the mentality of us versus them when it comes to the recent clashes between police and protesters is one that shouldn’t happen.
“There’s no place for that in law enforcement,” he said.
Jess Nelson of Peterborough always thought that if she chose not to see the color of someone’s skin that she was doing her part. But recently she has realized that is far from the case.
“I’m thinking I’m doing the right thing and now seeing that’s part of the problem,” Nelson said.
She said this is the first time she has taken the time to take a look within and where she falls in the systemic problem of racism.
“It’s uncomfortable, but necessary,” she said. “Looking at myself and my own part in racism, and being vulnerable can help people.”
Her son Simon is friends with Wetu and she has never thought of him any differently than her son’s other friends. “But by doing that, it’s part of the problem,” Nelson said.
Nelson had never taken part in a Black Lives Matter protest and was nervous a few weeks ago when she did. She didn’t feel like she had anything to say or truly add. She felt vulnerable, fearful and uncertain. But being part of it brought on this feeling that’s hard to describe.
“It gives you hope that this is something that can be fixed,” she said. “It definitely feels different and I hope it is.”
Because as Nelson puts it, she can turn off the news and stay off social media, but for someone of color it is a reality they have to live with every day.
Ann Putnam of Wilton described the last couple weeks as excruciating.
“When George Floyd was murdered and the world exploded, that was the tipping point,” Putnam said.
Putnam said she’s frustrated and is using her voice and actions to make sure this time is different; to make sure this time there is meaningful change. She has participated in protests in Manchester and Concord and this last weekend was in Peterborough and Keene.
“It is important to go protest because this is unacceptable what is happening in our country,” Putnam said. “ I don’t know how much good I’m doing, but it’s our responsibility to speak up and speak out about injustices.”
Putnam said she’s trying to build empathy, “I want people to care.” She also wants people to educate themselves and listen to opposing views.
“I’m just dumbfounded how willingly ignorant people are,” Putnam said.
She has been out protesting with her daughter and husband with signs that read “White silence costs lives” and “Choosing when to care about racism is racist.”
For Walker, it’s hard to think of what the future holds for Wetu and the conversations that will need to take place.
“He’s just a normal 11-year-old boy, but he’s black and has all those things that comes with being black,” she said.
But as people come together and work toward equality, Walker sees the powerful statement that’s being made. Maybe, this will be the point when things change.