The talk

The talk is a colloquial expression for a conversation Black parents in the United States feel compelled to have with their children and teenagers about the dangers they face due to racism or unjust treatment from authority figures, law enforcement or other parties, and how to de-escalate them. The practice dates back generations and is often viewed as a rite of passage for Black children. History Black youth in the United States have "always been warned" about dealing with authority figures safely and instructed by their parents or other caregivers on the dangers they face due to racism. Variations of the talk have been conducted in Black families for decades or generations; the practice "dates back to slavery and has lasted centuries". The talk has evolved. In the 1940s the talk might have covered avoiding certain neighborhoods. In the 1980s it might have covered "how to dress, walk and act and to be mindful of how others could perceive them". In the 2010s it typically focused on interactions with the police. Utne Reader called the talk "a rite of passage" for Black children. Judy Belk, writing in the Los Angeles Times, called the talk "an unfair but necessary burden we carry in the black community, one we reluctantly pass down" and "a painful ritual."