(TODAY) He may only be 12, but “This Is Us” actor Lonnie Chavis (who plays young Randall) has his eyes wide open on social issues.
Particularly when it comes to being Black in America in 2020.
Chavis has written a heartfelt, powerful essay in People magazine that was published Wednesday, in which he details the various forms of racism, intimidation and stress he’s either witnessed or personally experienced in his short life.
“My life matters, but does it?” he opens in the essay, referring to the Black Lives Matter movement. “America paints a very clear picture of how I should view myself. America shows me that my Blackness is a threat, and I am treated as such. I actually didn’t learn about being Black and what that would mean for me until I was 7 years old.”