The Case of “Child Q”

Hello, friends,

“That could so easily have been my child.”

I’m sure that thought went through the minds of many Black parents as they read of the case of Child Q - the 15-year-old Black girl who was strip-searched at school because of a suspicion - later proved to be false - that she had cannabis. That incident illustrates many things that are wrong with the world we live in, and the fact that we’re all swimming in the water of white supremacy. It also shows why Black parents have to give kids “the talk” and awaken them to the realities of racism pretty early in life, otherwise the world will do it first, and it won’t be pretty. What happened to Child Q certainly wasn’t.

When I do anti-racism workshops and talk to people at events, it’s obvious that there’s a huge gulf between the time Black kids and white kids become aware of “race” (in quotes, because though racism is real, the concept of race is a harmful and enduring fiction). If you’ve been reading this newsletter for a while, you’ll know that I first heard the N-word around the age of 7. But I know of Black and Brown people who are racially abused before they’re old enough to form full sentences. Sit with that for a minute, and think about how irate you’d feel if that happened to your child. Our anger over racism is justified, believe you me.

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