In 2016, two encounters between Black residents and Austin police thrust the city into a national reckoning over race and policing. In February, Officer Geoffrey Freeman fatally shot David Joseph, an unarmed, naked Black teenager. Months later, video surfaced of Officer Bryan Richter violently throwing Breaion King, a 26-year-old teacher, to the ground during a traffic stop.

As communities across the country grappled with similar encounters, the Austin American-Statesman examined a conversation that was already familiar to generations of Black families: “the talk” parents have with their children about how to navigate encounters with police and come home safely.

The project culminated in a community forum hosted by Austin PBS, where members of David Joseph’s family, Austin’s police chief and community members came together to discuss race, policing and the relationship between police and the communities they serve.

Role: Project conception, reporting, video, editing and photography