Aidan Sykes and Albert Sykes 

Aidan Sykes (AS) Do you remember what was going through your head when you first saw me?

Albert Sykes (AbS) I remember when the doctor pulled you out, the first thing I thought was that he was being too rough with you. And he actually held you like a little Sprite bottle and he was like, “Here’s your baby.” That was the most proud moment of my life. Don’t tell your brothers, ’cause there’s three of y’all. But it was like looking at a blank canvas, and just imagining what you want that painting to look like at the end, but also knowing you can’t control the paint strokes. You know, the fear was just, I gotta bring up a black boy in Mississippi, which is a tough place to bring up kids period, but there are statistics that say black boys born after the year 2002 have a one-in-three chance of going to prison. And all three of my sons were born after the year 2002.

AS: So dad, why do you take me to protests so much?

AbS: [Laughs] I think I take you for a bunch of reasons. One is that I want you to see what it looks like when people come together, but also that you understand that it’s not just about people that are familiar to you. It’s about everybody. Did you know the work that Martin Luther King was doing was for everybody and not just for black people?

AS: Are you proud of me?

AbS: Of course. You my man! Your spirit, your personality. I—I just love everything about you. Period.

AS: The thing I love about you, you never give up on me. That’s one of the things I will always remember about my dad.

AbS: Wow, you said it like I’m on my way out of here …

AS: [Laughs]

AbS: …or like I’m already gone.

AS: So Dad, what are your dreams for me?

AbS: My dream is for you to live out your dreams. There’s a old proverb that talks about when children are born, children come out with their fists closed because that’s where they keep all their gifts. And as you grow, your hands learn to unfold, because you’re learning to release your gifts to the world. And so, for the rest of your life, I wanna see you live with your hands unfolded.