![]() A town that many were not previously familiar with quickly began to make national news, and President Obama even flew to the State to address the issue, and met with Mari himself. ![]() The Michigan Civil Rights Commission stated that the lack of response from the government was a “result of systematic racism,” as 57% of Flint residents are Black and 41% of residents live under the federal poverty level. “Being a Black female activist I have found that I have to work a hundred times harder than some of my white counterparts to earn even a fraction of the attention that they get.” At the young age of 12, through activism, she is aware of the discrimination that falls upon her race. As Flint’s citizen’s cried out to government officials, the topic was wrongfully overlooked.Īs a result, Mari took to social media to raise awareness of the water crisis going on in her hometown. Due to poor treatment and a lack of testing, the water caused many health issues, ranging from skin rashes to hair loss. In an effort to cut costs in 2014, Flint switched its water source to the Flint River. “The first time I used my voice to fight for human rights, I was 8 years old, marching for clean water in my hometown Flint, Michigan,” Mari tells Very Good Light. One such person is Amariyanna “Mari” Copeny, aka Little Miss Flint, who’s become a powerful advocate for clean water and continues to use it in the current #BlackLivesMatter movement. It’s also created a new generation of young Black activists. Because of adultification discrimination, America has forced these young kids into fight or flight mode. The law is designed to treat all people as equal, but the systemic racism that operates within the current bounds of the law leads to a Black child walking into a courtroom that immediately discriminates based on the color of their skin. They are 18-times more likely to be tried as an adult in court, and Black children make up 58% of children that are incarcerated in adult facilities. According to a finding, Black children are perceived to be nearly five-times older than they are. While young White children are often disciplined with special considerations for age, Black children are not. ![]() Tamir was only 12-years old and shot on sight by a police officer twice his age because he had a toy gun in his hands.Īdultification leads to a world of turmoil for Black children. A look at the Tamir Rice case, for example, proves this to be true. This means that the minor will oftentimes find themselves under conflict more so than not. This, including children, a term called “adultification bias.” Adultification bias is described as a form of racial prejudice against minors from PoC backgrounds who are treated as more mature than they actually are by a reasonable standard of development. Historically, our country has dehumanized Black people. Zimmerman fired his gun based on a prejudice and racist mindset that American society feeds off of. While holding Skittles and an Arizona Iced Tea in his hands, this young Black man was fatally shot. When the senseless murder of Trayvon Martin occurred, the murderer, George Zimmerman, stated that he felt “threatened” and that Martin looked suspicious because he was wearing a black hoodie. When we imagine discrimination we often imagine adults, not children.įighting for civil rights can come in all shapes and forms-the #BlackLivesMatter initiative came to life after the wrongful killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |