Document Type
Story
Publication Title
Chicken Soup for the Soul: I’m Speaking Now: Black Women Share Their Truth in 101 Stories of Love, Courage and Hope
Publication Date
2021
Abstract
(Excerpt)
It is difficult to imagine that my life has led me to this point because, honestly, I was not supposed to make it this far. And unfortunately, darling, neither are you.
By the time we meet, I will have earned my law degree from Georgetown University Law Center and joined the ranks of the most educated group in the country, Black women. At the same time, I will have invited you into the same world where Black girls are criminalized, under protected, and overlooked in schools.
Thoughts of what can happen to you during school hours when I am not there to physically, emotionally and psychologically protect you keep me up at night. Black girls represent sixteen percent of the female student population, but nearly one-third of all girls referred to law enforcement and more than one-third of all school-based arrests.
Like Salecia Johnson, at six years old, you may throw a tantrum during story time and be physically restrained in handcuffs to “calm you down” because your teacher is trained to call the police instead of de-escalating situations in the classroom. At ten years old, you may overhear your dad and me arguing and are unable to focus in class the next day, which agitates your teacher who gives you detention for being withdrawn. Or like Kiera Wilmot, at sixteen years old your interest in science may lead you to conduct a science experiment that results in a small explosion and, even though no one is hurt, felony charges.
Comments
This story is from Chicken Soup for the Soul: I’m Speaking Now: Black Women Share Their Truth in 101 Stories of Love, Courage and Hope ©2021. Chicken Soup for the Soul, LLC. All rights reserved.