WHO WE ARE: MATTHEW MCKINNON

Sons

“Live in honor to yourself and your family. It doesn’t matter how people from the outside see you, but it does matter how you see yourself. Love and feel your feelings. Your emotions matter and it’s ok to express them.”

Q: What does being a son mean to you in 2020?

A: Making sure that the reputation of your lineage lives out through you. The moment you leave home, your name and your character is what matters.

Q: How have the injustices against the black community impacted your view of family?

A: I see the black family as a cornerstone in human civilization. Through the pain of injustice I see the family as resilient and powerful. It’s in those moments of injustice and discouragement that it somehow brings our family even closer. The family to me is a portrait of sacrifice and restoration.

Q: How do you feel being a black man in the world today?

A: Vulnerable. To be honest, at times you live in fear. To live this life as a black man is a life of uncertainty. Not knowing when your last breath would be. By just taking a jog in the neighborhood or taking your kids to school. So my life is in the hands of people who have their own idea of who I am based just on how different I look from them.

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