Mother Lover

To the guy in a white van on the corner of Agricola & Cunard at 12:30 pm on August 19th, 2009 who blared his horn at my mother because he didn't like the way she was riding her bicycle: She pulled up to you and said "Hey, I have my rights, too." and you yelled "Suck my c**k, you f**king n***er! Suck my c**k!", over & over & over. I want you to know that she felt stunned and sad and violated and powerless because of your racist and violent words. She thought you might get out and beat her up. Maybe you talk to your mother this way. Maybe you don't mind other people talking to your mother this way. But I mind. I love my mother and she is the most giving, kind person in the world.

To the adolescent boy sitting in the passenger seat of your van: I believe you had a life-altering moment, because you saw the look of pain and fear and heartbreak on my mother's face. Maybe you imagined someone speaking to your mother this way. Maybe he speaks to your mother this way. If that is your father, take heart: you will be able to leave home in a matter of years and be free. You have the power to grow up to be a better man than this guy. You have the power to be a man who loves and respects women. —Still Angry Two Years Later