Lonnie Chavis: 12-year-old ‘This is Us’ star writes essay on racism he’s experienced

‘Change has got to happen for unarmed black citizens to not live in fear of being murdered,’ wrote the young actor

Lonnie Chavis at the Emmy Awards in 2019 (Rex Features)

This is Us actor Lonnie Chavis, who is 12 years old, has written an essay about the racism he has experienced in his life.

Chavis, who plays the young version of Sterling K Brown’s Randall in the drama, wrote about the racial profiling he has been subjected to and the police brutality he has witnessed in an op-ed published in People magazine.

“My life matters, but does it?” he asked. “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 seven years old.”

Remembering when he was “treated very poorly by security or entrance checkers” at industry events, he added he felt like he “wasn’t supposed to be there, until I had a publicist to announce me”.

Chavis has also been confused with actors from the television shows Black-ish or Stranger Things numerous times just because of the colour of his skin.

“I guess we all look alike since we are all Black,” he wrote. “Can you imagine being confused for any other Black kid just because you all share the same profession? I can.”

Chavis revealed that a scene in This Is Us, where a grandmother is racist towards his character, made him cry. “I was crying for me,” he stated. “Can you imagine having to explain to a room full of white people why I couldn’t hold back my real tears while experiencing the pain of racism? I can.”

The young actor also recalled being racially profiled at a San Diego restaurant and accused of trying to steal tips, and witnessing a confrontation where a police officer twisted his father’s arm behind his back at his family’s front door.

“I thought my parents were for sure going to die going up against the police,” he wrote. “By the grace of God, they are both still with me, and that racially motivated harassment against my father was dismissed. Can you imagine holding on to your three little brothers while thinking that you are all going to be orphans? I can.”

Concluding the essay, he wrote: “Change has got to happen for unarmed Black citizens to not live in fear of being murdered. Can you imagine being me in 2020 and wondering what the future holds? I can’t.”