How A Mother Protects Her Black Teenage Son From The World Minnesota state Rep. Ruth Richardson doesn't want her teenage son, Shawn, a track athlete, to go running outside. "You can't do the same things that your white friends do," she remembers telling him.Toggle more optionsThe best thing about being 17, according to Shawn Richardson, is freedom. "I'm able to go out more with my friends," he says. "I can do things solo." Shawn is a rising high school senior in Minneapolis. School is fine, but what he really loves is track. His friend timed him running the 100-meter dash in 10.71 seconds....…How A Mother Protects Her Black Teenage Son From The World Minnesota state Rep. Ruth Richardson doesn't want her teenage son, Shawn, a track athlete, to go running outside. "You can't do the same things that your white friends do," she remembers telling him.Toggle more optionsThe best thing about being 17, according to Shawn Richardson, is freedom. "I'm able to go out more with my friends," he says. "I can do things solo." Shawn is a rising high school senior in Minneapolis. School is fine, but what he really loves is track. His friend timed him running the 100-meter dash in 10.71 seconds....WW…