Phillips’ initial intention was to step between the students and Black Israelites, sing and retreat. But as he approached the students, the situation felt more volatile. “That’s when I had a conscious thought of: we’re in a dangerous situation here.”
Philips says he then looked for a gap in the crowd and saw an opening on the steps heading up towards the monument. He looked down to find his footing. When he looked up again, he found himself face-to-face with a young man: Nicholas Sandmann.
(For his part, the teenager said “I never felt I was blocking the Native American protester. He never made any attempt to go around me. It was clear to me that he had singled me out for a confrontation, although I’m not sure why.”)
Phillips looked into the young man’s eyes. “It’s the youth, the youth that need that song.” He thought. “The youth that need that mother’s heartbeat to remind them who they are and where they come from.” So he sang louder.
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