"THE YOUNG PRINCE'S SEND-OFF"

In "Between the World and Me," Ta-Nehisi Coates delivers a letter to his son that confronts the fragility of Black life in America, revealing a nation built on the exploitation and destruction of Black bodies. This vulnerability echoes in the story of Bambi, where the forest, once a place of freedom, is violently disrupted by unseen hunters,  symbolizing the abrupt loss of innocence. In both narratives, young beings must confront a world that is not as safe as it seems. For Black communities, as Coates explains, this fragility is not a metaphor but a lived reality. Perpetual, generational, and deeply felt. Just as Bambi mourns the loss of his mother and Innocence, Black communities continue to grieve sons, daughters, and futures stolen.   The shared theme is the constant tension between life and loss, and the resilience required to exist in a world where safety is never guaranteed. Join me in giving the Young Prince a proper send-off.