‘The Talk’: Parents of color address the tensions between police and their kids

Perhaps one of the most provocative and timely programs to air will be a PBS documentary that addresses the tense — and sometimes deadly — tensions that can erupt when young people of color get pulled over by police officers.

“The Talk,” which will air on PBS, is a two-hour documentary looking at the conversations between parents of color and their children, particularly young men, about how to act when they are stopped.

“It’s about the talk that mothers and fathers have had to tell their children, ‘Answer, ‘yes sir’ and no sir’, don’t talk back, obey everything they say,” said executive producer Julie Anderson during a session at the summer gathering of the Television Critics Assn.

Anderson said the film is a collection of five different stories by five different directors, including Oscar nominee John Singleton (“Boyz N the Hood”).

One of the participants in the project is Samaria Rice, the mother of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old Cleveland boy who was shot by a police officer while he was playing in a park.

The stories depicted in the film are personal stories, said Anderson. Also explored is the police perspective on the controversy.

Said Anderson, “We wanted to look at this from a police perspective because they are potentially in danger, too.”

Most importantly, the project is designed to bring awareness to all races about the racial tensions in the country that add to the friction between law enforcement and people of color.

Said director and executive producer Sam Pollard: “The talk has been evolving and people need to understand that racism is a part of American history and we need to understand and dissect the differences that we have. Over and over again these terrible things are happening in our country. Hopefully all of this chaos will lead to some sort of cleansing.”

greg.braxton@latimes.com

Twitter:@GeBraxton