By Panama Jackson, The Root, July 17, 2020
Twenty years ago, my life changed forever. When I woke up on July 16, 2000, I never could have predicted how different my life would be by midnight. But it was. And I was. And still am, if I’m being honest. As I was scrolling my social media feeds this morning, I noticed that my son’s godfather posted a tweet that said, “there are certain things in life you will never get over, but there is nothing in life that you can’t get through.”
Nothing could be more accurate.
On July 12, 1991, (a little more than 29 years ago) Boyz N The Hood was released to theaters nationwide. The movie was and is a game changer. While there may be other movies that are more “real,” so to speak, what Boyz N The Hood did was show the heart of south central Los Angeles. We cared about Ricky and Tre, and even Doughboy (Ricky’s brother) who was never quite a villain but never quite a character you rooted for either. When Ricky was killed, we all cried. I still cry. Ricky’s death cut down a shot at a better life, a chance to make it out of circumstances intended to trap, if they let you live at all.
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