A black teen shared a list of rules his mom makes him follow when he's outside. It's now viral.

If a black boy acted as carelessly as a white boy did, he would end up dead. Maybe this is a controversial statement, but for many black families, this is simply the truth. "The talk" in black families isn't about sex - it's about how to stay alive. At a very young age, black children learn that the rules aren't the same for everyone. One black teen, in particular, was given by his mother a list of "rules" he has to follow every time he leaves home. He decided to share the rules with his followers on TikTok and has since gone viral.

TikTok user Cameron Welch who goes by the username Skoodupcam is only 18 years old. He lives in Houston, Texas. In his now-viral video, he shares, as he describes, some "unwritten rules" his mom has told him to follow when he goes outside. Some of these rules include not touching anything he does not plan on buying, never leaving home without some form of ID, and always checking in on your people. In an interview with The Huffington Post, the young man claimed he wanted to share the advice because of the recent murder of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, by white police officer of the Minneapolis Police Department Derek Chauvin.

"In this moment in our country, it was necessary for me to use my voice, so I put out the video," he said. "I wanted people to hear and understand the real truth of a black man’s daily experience." Sadly,  his experience was not unique to him. As he mentioned, several young teens of color commented that they too were told these rules by their parents. One user commented, "Saving this video for my future son." In response, the teen wrote, "His future shouldn’t be like this." In another video, Cameron explains that his friends don't say, "I'll see you later" to each other because they do not know if they will. If that's not heartbreaking enough, he adds in the clip, "Every black man has that feeling of, 'Am I gonna come home today?'"

Cameron hopes his video will show people that it is time for the United States to change. Systemic racism has deeply impacted the way children of color grow up in White America. Besides being inherently unfair, this is terribly traumatic for anyone to go through. No one should have to experience discrimination at all, but especially when they are just children. As the Black Lives Matter movement continues, more and more young people of color are speaking up about the horrible incidents they have faced. Unlike any other time before, racism is finally being documented. Though many folks may not understand TikTok or look down upon it, it has been a means to educate and organize as the country erupts in protests. The 18-year-old stated, "I want people to see that we need change and that no one should have to live like this."