Patsy Hathaway and her son, Alex Landau, interviewed each other on the August 15 Storycorps podcast and it's exceptionally powerful.
Hathaway starts with the story of 8-year-old Landau covering himself up on a hot day because he didn't want to get any darker. She says she was naive about the way race would affect Landau's life, though, until he was assaulted by police.
"I thought that love would conquer all and skin color really didn't matter," she says.
Landau suffered a traumatic brain injury, a concussion and required 45 stitches.
According to the Denver Westword News, Landau refused to be treated by paramedics until they took a photo of his injured face.
In this Youtube video from 2011, he talks and raps about his experience.
View this video on YouTube
"I’m not the first, I’m not saying they did me the worst, but I’m blessed to take steps on this mother earth."
"I was another face in the streets, and I was almost another dead black male."
As people stand up and speak out against police brutality in Ferguson, it's important to remember that Landau's story doesn't stand alone.
