Dear Nolan
Or "yet another Black child is gone too soon."
Dear Nolan,
Oh, sweet boy. How I wish I didn’t know your name.
How I wish there hadn’t been a reason.
I wish you were here to smile at the momma who is so very proud of you, and to let her wonder at how you’ve grown from the little baby she brought home from the hospital into the young man you were only just becoming.
I wish that there was a future with you for her to look forward to, one that didn’t involve calls to the sheriff’s office, and commitment to avoiding the comment sections on social media stories that are going to invoke your name.
You should be here.
You should be here.
You should be here.
I can’t bring you back, but I can offer you a blessing, so that’s what I’m going to do.
May your after be sweet.
May you feel nothing but peace, and the love that never leaves us after we’re gone.
May the voice of your mother find you wherever you are, and may her words feel like home.
May you find the welcoming arms of other Black men, women, and children who were taken before their time, and may their company keep you from loneliness while you wait for your loved ones to join you in the after.
May there be peace.
May you be peace.
And for those who were supposed to protect you that day…
I wish them nothing but that the truth be found, and that justice— whether delivered by the law of man, or that of Karma— be an imminent visitor.
White supremacy is a cancer that rots at the heart of this nation.
Nolan should be here.
Until next time, dear readers.
—XOXO,
Jess
PS. Nolan’s family is facing a waking nightmare. This GoFundMe has been set up by the family so that in the very least, they don’t have to worry about funeral expenses. If you were planning on throwing anything my way today, please give it to them instead.
Thank you.