Man Is Afraid To Walk Alone In His Neighborhood Because He’s Black, And His Rant Goes Viral

Interview With Author

Nobody should be forced to live in fear of walking around their neighborhood alone. However, that’s exactly what best-selling author and TEDx speaker Shola Richards’ life is like. In a viral Facebook post, the father of two shared how he’s “scared to death” to go outside without taking his girls or his dog with him. And that’s even after having spent the last 4 years living in his house in Los Angeles.

Richards told Bored Panda that he didn’t expect his post to get so many people’s attention. “After the unarmed killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, I was devastated. I have always been a highly-sensitive person, so I tend to feel things more deeply than most folks, and these brutal executions hit me hard,” he revealed how strongly he reacted. “After seeing the Christian Cooper/Amy Cooper confrontation in the park, it completely pushed me over the edge into despair. Some of my white friends couldn’t understand why I was so upset, so I wrote the Facebook post in the hopes that it would be informative to them, and cathartic for me. But no, in a million years I would not have ever expected this amount of attention.”

Scroll down to read Richards’ story in his own words and for the rest of his interview with Bored Panda.

More info: Facebook | Twitter | SholaRichards.com

Shola Richards is scared to walk alone in his neighborhood, so he takes one or both of his daughters and his dog

Man Is Afraid To Walk Alone In His Neighborhood Because He’s Black, And His Rant Goes Viral

Image credits: Shola MRichards

Richards’ post went viral and got a lot of people’s attention

Man Is Afraid To Walk Alone In His Neighborhood Because He’s Black, And His Rant Goes Viral

He told us that based on what he’s hearing from people all around the world, his post changed a lot of people’s perspectives. “When I write, my hope is to explain things in a way that is easily understood, and ideally, in a way that could open minds to a different way of thinking. I’m thrilled and humbled to hear that many people thought that I was successful in that effort.”

The neighborhood reacted “exceptionally well” to Richards’ story on Facebook. “The level of support and kindness that I’ve received from my neighbors in the past two weeks has been off the charts. In some cases, some neighbors admitted to me that my post has caused them to re-examine some of their biases, and I’m grateful for that. Most importantly, our neighbors are now having the often awkward, messy, and complicated conversations about race (that were avoided before), and I am very hopeful that we will be a better neighborhood because of it.”

Here’s a photo of best-selling author Richards and his dog, Ace

Man Is Afraid To Walk Alone In His Neighborhood Because He’s Black, And His Rant Goes Viral

Image credits: Shola MRichards

Richards is an optimist and he told us that he feels very hopeful about the direction that the world’s headed in right now. “The level of energy, passion, and dedication around addressing systemic racism feels different to me, and I believe that long-term positive change will come from these efforts.”

He continued: “Sure, there are people who would rather stay asleep as they wish for a return to the Tiger King-binging, Zoom background-searching, stimulus check-cashing part of 2020, but that ship has sailed. The reality is that we’re all here now, and I sincerely hope that we will use this opportunity to literally change the world. As always, in order for it to happen, we will need to do it together.”

Richards also shared that he published a follow-up article to his post which you can read right here.

Richards’ Facebook rant and list of his insights about how the world works got a lot of attention. It got more than 494k reactions, was shared over 596k times, and was widely covered in the news.

Some people call Richards a cheerleader and Brother Teresa while he sees himself as a champion of those who value integrity. He has written two books (Go Together and Making Work Work) and he speaks to organizations all over the US about creating safe, collaborative, and bully-free work environments. Oh, and Richards is an ENFP in the Myers-Briggs Personality Test, so he has that in common with yours truly.

This is how social media users reacted to Richards’ post

Man Is Afraid To Walk Alone In His Neighborhood Because He’s Black, And His Rant Goes Viral

Storytelling, journalism, and art are a core part of who I am. I've been writing and drawing ever since I could walk—there is nothing else I'd rather do. My formal education, however, is focused on politics, philosophy, and economics because I've always been curious about the gap between the ideal and the real. At work, I'm a Senior Writer and I cover a broad range of topics that I'm passionate about: from psychology and changes in work culture to healthy living, relationships, and design. In my spare time, I'm an avid hiker and reader, enjoy writing short stories, and love to doodle. I thrive when I'm outdoors, going on small adventures in nature. However, you can also find me enjoying a big mug of coffee with a good book (or ten) and entertaining friends with fantasy tabletop games and sci-fi movies.

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As a Visual Editor at Bored Panda, I indulge in the joy of curating delightful content, from adorable pet photos to hilarious memes, all while nurturing my wanderlust and continuously seeking new adventures and interests—sometimes thrilling, sometimes daunting, but always exciting!

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What do you think ?

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Mieke 4 years ago

That is truly so very sad!!! I am a white woman, and it just shows, where you are, also makes a difference. My "white privileged " life in South Africa, although I know I ám privileged, is certainly not enough to keep me safe in the streets! We're from opposite poles, but here in South Africa, I know all about reverse discrimination - I NEVER accepted apartheid, and have always treated people equal, but whites in South Africa truly feel your pain. I hope I haven't offended anyone, but that is MY reality. Love you all folks, and I pray, one day, we will all just be people, not black/white/green, but just people. I've always said, it's behavior, NOT COLOR, that matters.

17points

Daria B 4 years ago (edited)

Racism and aesthetics based privilege differs by regions. Racism in the USA is different than the racism in S. Africa. Europe has yet another way of racism, and east Asia another one and so on. And either way is sad and shouldn't be happening. We should see people as just people, not as an exotic animal, just because they look different. Stay strong, sister

21points

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Lena Hudson 4 years ago

I was born in SA and lived there until 19yrs of age (1978-1997). Because I am mixed race (or to use the lovely South African term, urgh, 'coloured'), before the end of Apartheid I was deemed "too black" then after it was abolished, I couldn't find work due to being "too white"...you bet I long very much for the day we have a truly colourblind world...

9points

Leandri Krüger 4 years ago

I fully agree and was about to make a similar comment. It is absolutely terrible that human beings are prejudiced towards or bias because of a person's skin colour, what truly matters is a person's personality, intent and how they treat the people around them. But being white and living in South Africa, our reality is that we experience what Shola Richard is describing here, I cannot feel safe enough to go for a walk/jog without my 50kg dog or my husband. This is a very sad reality as I am a very empathetic person and always belief that people are innately good, but I also don't want to risk my life.

0points

Daja Lindeman 4 years ago

I would take a walk with this man, and his fluffy dog any time. This is absolutely heartbreaking. That a full grown man, cant feel safe in his own street, because of his race and the reaction it gives to others. Those others should be given a good a*s whooping for being such absolute idiots.

15points

Leo Domitrix 4 years ago

I am mostly white. In fact, at first glance, I AM WHITE. Guess what? My eyes are very dark. I was stopped ON THE STREET, in a small town i nOhio, and asked what I was doing "outside Jewtown". Yes, that really happened. B/c of my eyes being dark. Just my eyes. Lived in that racist hellhole for two long eternities (years?). I got that repeatedly. "Are you part n--word? Are you Jewish?" for TWO YEARS b/c I had dark eyes. Ridiculous and yet true. (BTW, no, I'm not white *enough* for Klukkers, Hitler, and similar, and frankly, I'm proud of that. I'd hate to belong to any club of theirs.)

14points

Aunt Messy 4 years ago

When we lived in Texas, people kept asking "where are you FROM". I would answer, "Canada", and they would say, "No, really, were are you FROM." They were demanding (in a really obnoxious and rude way) to know where my family came from before North America. Since the family has been in Canada for 150 years, I can say Canadian. ...///... Finally, I told one woman that my family (150 year ago) came from Eastern Europe. She said, "Oh, you're not white, then, " as if it mattered. ...///... Let the record show that I am a green-eyed pale blonde, and my skin is so white I'm practically transparent.

18points

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