While racism thankfully isn’t what it used to be anymore, being a minority race in America is still a cause for discrimination. Black people in particular are viewed with suspicion while they’re out doing completely normal things, like taking a jog, for instance.

Just a few months back, Ahmaud Arbery was killed while out jogging. The young man had been pursued by two men who thought – thought being the key word here – that he matched the description for a criminal who had broken into a few local places. So, with absolutely no logic whatsoever, they decided to kill him.

As it turned out, Arbery was a completely innocent man – and black joggers in the neighborhood suddenly had a reason to feel wary about practicing their favorite hobby outdoors.

One man who has enjoyed jogging for 10 years is Augustus Turner, former EMT, licensed attorney, and active duty Army Officer. Turner has always viewed jogging as the casual sport it is, but his wife, Michelle, has warned him that he needs to look “innocent”while he’s jogging.

On a post he made to Facebook, Turner said:

“For nearly ten years, Michelle Yeager Turner cautioned me about how I appear when I jog alone. She will not even let me out of the house unless I wear enough colorful and “innocent” clothing so as not to appear suspicious or threatening when I jog.”

The sad reality is that Turner’s wife is scared he might get in trouble for jogging – simply because of his skin color.

In a later Facebook post, Turner went on to explain that his appearance alone might be enough for someone to kill him. He admitted that his broad build and the fact that he moves from neighborhood to neighborhood as a soldier means that he’s both unfamiliar and perhaps even threatening to some, though this shouldn’t be the case.

He said:

“I am a good person! Why would somebody shoot me just because I am black and unfamiliar?”

Turner then began to justify why he is worthy of a life, referring to the studies and voluntary work he has done, and his attorney work in helping more than 60 sexual assault victims.

He shouldn’t have to justify himself at all.

Turner, a loving family man, added:

“If I frighten the wrong white person, or match the description of a threatening person… I become no different from Ahumaud Arbery.”

If Turner was unfairly accused of a crime he didn’t do, or worse, killed, his children would no longer have a father. All because Turner has the “wrong” skin color. It’s no wonder that his wife insists that he wears colorful clothes while he’s out jogging. Does she have a grounds for being scared? Yes. But should it be that way? Absolutely not.

Something needs to change. Men like Turner need to feel like they can enjoy their hobbies outdoors without fearing for their lives. Until people know Turner’s story, they have absolutely no right to judge him or jump to conclusions.

Turner’s story is all the evidence we need that we’re still a long way from eradicating racial discrimination in the US. It is never okay to assume anything about anyone if you have absolutely no solid evidence against them.

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Source: Spotlight, Love What Matters, Facebook, BBC