Soon after the 2016 Presidential Election, news headlines began erupting with stories that all followed a similar pattern: a black person is minding their own business in a public space when they are approached by a white person, who questions their right to be there—and subsequently calls the police. Whether using a phone in a hotel lobby or trying to cash a check at a bank, from mowing lawns to swimming outdoors, from babysitting to selling lemonade, from sleeping in a college common room to entering their own apartment, our current moment has brought frequent stories of black men, women, and children going about their daily lives only to be interrupted by a stranger challenging their presence. More often than not, theses challenges result in interaction with law enforcement. Each of these stories of Living While Black enraged me as an African-American, and provoked me as a writer. As a result, my work these days is concerned with how these incidents take shape, the people involved, and the damage that’s done. The goal is to strip away the monotonous spectacle of provocative headlines and emphasize the human stories that exist underneath.