Black children have the right to be children

by Jacqueline Bediako

Historically, Black children have been exposed to a racist system, which not only exposes them to unspeakable violence, but also criminalization. In 1955, Emmett Till – who was 14 years old at the time – was abducted, tortured and lynched for allegedly whistling at a white woman, Carolyn Bryant. It was later discovered that Bryant’s claims were false. By this time Till had not only been robbed of his childhood, but also his life.

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Trayvon Martin

In 2018, Black children still need protection. They need nourishment, love, educational opportunities, healthcare and safe homes. These basic rights are often not bestowed upon Black children. Frequently, they are confined to cold classrooms, forced to drink contaminated water, reside in food deserts and deal with the social, cognitive and emotional impacts of living in poverty.

The findings published in a report by the Georgetown Law Center on Poverty and Inequality indicated that Black girls were considered more adult than their white peers in nearly all phases of childhood. According to the authors of this report:

“Simply put, if authorities in public systems view Black girls as less innocent, less needing of protection, and generally more like adults, it appears likely that they would also view Black girls as more culpable for their actions and, on that basis, punish them more harshly despite their status as children.”

Black children need nourishment, love, educational opportunities, healthcare and safe homes. These basic rights are often not bestowed upon Black children. 

So, despite being children, Black girls are subject to “adultification” and therefore exposed to harsh punishment practices. These findings are problematic because healthy development requires that children are able to progress through specific phases of development. For optimal development, children must be placed in environments that help drive their social, emotional and academic development. In the case of Tamir Rice, his engagement play, which is an important element of social skills development, was cut short.

In 2014, 12-year-old Tamir Rice was killed in Ohio when someone called 911 to report him for playing with a toy gun near a recreation center. The antecedent to Rice’s death was the incorrect and racist assumption that he was a Black male with a weapon, and therefore dangerous. Rice was shot by an officer seconds after the officer’s arrival on the scene.

This tragedy sits in a list of tragedies, in which Black children are catapulted out of their existence as children and falsely categorized as men or women.

Rice’s death caused national outrage, but his death must also be understood on a global level. When a developed country fails to protect and nurture all of its children, the basic rights of all citizens are not maintained. The state should be influential in providing systems and services that drive children’s development, not prematurely end their lives.

The antecedent to 12-year-old Tamir Rice’s death was the incorrect and racist assumption that he was a Black male with a weapon, and therefore dangerous. Rice was shot by an officer seconds after the officer’s arrival on the scene.

Further, the current system enables dangerous individuals to possess guns. This flaw places Black children’s lives in danger. In November 2012, Jordan Davis, 17, was seated in a car with his friends when he was murdered after being shot by Michael David Dunn, 45. Dunn murdered Davis – an unarmed Black teenager – following a dispute about loud music.

Similarly, Trayvon Martin was a teenager when he was murdered. Martin died on Feb. 26, 2012, after he was shot by a neighborhood watch volunteer, George Zimmerman. He was 17 years old.

In their book “Rest in Power: A Parents’ Story of Love, Injustice, and the Birth of a Movement” by Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, Fulton highlights the magnitude of the loss of her son:

“The child I lost was a son, a boy who hadn’t yet crossed the final threshold to becoming a man. He had been seventeen for only three brief weeks, still in the beautiful and turbulent passage through childhood’s last stages, still on his way to becoming. Instead, he will be remembered for the things he left behind.”

The gravity of Fulton’s loss ignites a deep sense of indignation towards a system which failed her son. It also highlights her correct analysis of her son as a child regardless of efforts by law enforcement to paint him as much older and threatening.

Trayvon Martin was a teenager when he was murdered. Martin died on Feb. 26, 2012, after he was shot by a neighborhood watch volunteer, George Zimmerman. He was 17 years old.

In the presence of gross injustice and a deep feeling that Martin’s life was stolen, many were moved to action. Million Hoodies Movement for Justice, a human rights chapter-based organization challenging systemic violence and anti-Black racism, was founded in the wake of Martin’s death. Today, the struggle to protect Black children and allow Black children to be exactly who they are continues.

On Feb. 5, 2018, Trayvon Martin’s birthday, the New York City chapter of Million Hoodies Movement for Justice launched the #LifeAt23 campaign to highlight all of the significant life events Martin had the potential to experience. Like other Black children, Martin had dreams of a career in aviation and he had friends and family who loved him.

The Million Hoodies New York City chapter will walk alongside community members in Brownsville on Monday, Feb. 26, 2018, to honor Trayvon’s life.

Through the life of Trayvon and others, community members and organizers are standing up for the basic rights of Black children to ensure they make it through each phase of their childhood – and exercise their right to be children.

Through the life of Trayvon and others, community members and organizers are standing up for the basic rights of Black children to ensure they make it through each phase of their childhood – and exercise their right to be children.

Jacqueline-Bediako, Black children have the right to be children, Culture Currents
Jacqueline Bediako

Jacqueline Bediako M.S., BCBA, is an organizer, writer, behavior analyst and educator. Her writing focuses on Black feminism, education, immigration and race. As an organizer, her work focuses on challenging systemic racism, protecting Black families and building communities. She is an organizer with the New York City chapter of Million Hoodies Movement for Justice. Jacqueline believes in using education to empower individuals and groups to transcend the confines of their environment. A Ghanaian who was raised in the U.K., Jacqueline has lived in Brooklyn, New York City, for 10 years. Learn more at jacquelinebediako.com.