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#VoicesForOurSons

Voices for Our Sons

Two years ago a case gained national attention.

A 17 year old young man, Trayvon Martin, was walking to his father’s house from the convenience store in the rain was shot and killed. This case gained national attention and evoked many emotions. With the help of social media, many joined the conversation. Giving opinions as well as seeing many opinions of peers. I witnessed many heated debates, and read many opinions that left a bad taste in my mouth.

Recently, another case has been in the news. The case of Jordan Davis, a teen who was killed in a carful of other teens and had gotten into an argument over loud music.

Although both cases had different circumstances, they also both resulted in the death of two young men with potentially bright futures. Both were killed as a result of causing a feeling of “threat”.

You may wonder why this subject resonates with me. As you can see from my photo to the right, I don’t bear resemblance to either of these young men. While that may be your first thought, these cases devastated me.

You see, I’m a mother of four boys.

In addition to having the job of raising four boys, I also have to share the reality of this world with my biracial brown and black boys.

voices for our sons

My oldest son was the same age as Trayvon when he passed.

My boys actually have a lot in common with both of these young men. They dress the same, listen to the same music, and have the same potentially bright futures.

Unfortunately, these are not isolated incidents. We are seeing cases like these all the time. We need to open up the dialogue and tackle these issues. Often our boys are judged by their clothes, their music, their size or color before they are heard for their dreams and aspirations.

Our boys need to be heard.

I’ve teamed up with these three lovely ladies,  also moms of young boys and men,in order to help spread this message.

  • Children of the Old School
  • Divas with a Purpose
  • And Starring as Herself

Our goal?

To share our sons voices and allow them to be heard. We come from a variety of family structures and locations, but we have a common bond. On the first Wednesday of every month we’ll come together and discuss our thoughts and ideas, and most importantly we will be that voice for our sons.

Voices for Our Sons

Join us. Comment, discuss, or even add your own writings if they share the same themes. Let our voices be powerful!

An InLinkz Link-up

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Val says

    March 2, 2014 at 1:50 pm

    Powerful post. Thank you so much for using your voice.

    • MamaHarris says

      March 6, 2014 at 10:26 am

      Thank you for the opportunity Val!

  2. Zain says

    July 24, 2016 at 7:06 pm

    I greatly respect the fact that you use your online platform to share great recipes and life tips as well as make social commentary on the things going on in our society right now. I have the upmost respect for you and what you do.

    • MamaHarris says

      July 24, 2016 at 8:17 pm

      Thank you Zain! Recent events, and even not so recent, have left me craving a space to really speak about everything. Thank you for reminding me how important it is to do so!

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INSTRUCTIONS:
Prepare tater tots as instructed, in air fryer or oven. Heat oven to 450°. 
Cover the bottom of a large cast iron skillet with the cooked tater tots. 
Top with 1 1/2 cup of cheese. 
Combine the chopped adobo peppers and sauce with the prepared bbq pulled pork. Spread the pulled pork mixture on top of the tater tots, then top with the remaining cheese.
Bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes.
Top with sour cream, ranch, pico de Gallo, guacamole, green onions, and sliced jalapeños and carrots.

Enjoy!! 😋
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Hello Instagram fam! 💖 There’s some new faces around here and it’s been a while since I showed mine!

I’m Dawn, creator of Mama Harris’ Kitchen, and I’m so glad you’re here with me! In this space I share my family-friendly recipes for all occasions, whether it be a 30-minute meal for those busy weeknight dinners or a full spread for entertaining a crowd - and everything in between.

Mama Harris’ Kitchen began back in 2012, in fact it’s 8 years this month! 🥳  What started as a way to document my newfound cooking hobby while managing my “new” life as a stay-at-home wife and mom to a 1 and 3 year along with teens and preteens, and it quickly grew into what it is now - a recipe resource for busy families like mine that enjoy flavorful and comforting home-cooking using pantry staples along with fresh and local ingredients as often as possible. 

🍿Five fun facts about me:
1. I LOVE elephants! 🐘 I collect a lot of elephant items, whether it’s trinkets or  artwork, notepads etc. I love what elephants symbolize and I truly love anything elephant related.
2. I’m a total plant lady! 🌱 I have about 35 houseplants, give or take, and there’s still more on the list of wants. Plants have become such a peaceful outlet for me, and I feel that they really center me within my space. I love the element plants bring to your space and the feel of your home with them in it, and new leaves are so exciting!
3. I have seven tattoos and I have plans for about eight more. 💉 Those that know me aren’t surprised, but those that follow me here tend to find it a bit surprising. 🙃
4. I’ve been a mother for a long time, over half my life! I’ve also been a lot of different “types” of mom - teen mom, single mom, working mom, stepmom, stay at home mom, PROUD mom, military mom, mother in law - the list goes on. No matter what, motherhood looks different for everyone and there’s unique challenges and experiences each mother faces. Please be gentle with yourself! ❤️At the end of the day we’re all just trying our best!
5. I’m a bit of an introvert, and often struggle with the “social” aspect of social media. I tend to go silent sometimes, but I’m working on it.

☀️Thank you for joining me here!
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Get the recipe now! Click the link in my profile at @mamaharriskitchen ✨
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