SHOTS FIRED

By: Ayana Bryant-Weekes
 
Shots Fired.

Black lives are being attacked on all sides, and while our young men are being shot and killed in the streets with no consequence, our young women are being openly condemned. Elizabeth Lauten, the communications director for Republican Rep. Stephen Fincher of Tennessee, fired shots via Facebook to express her disapproval of Sasha and Malia Obama’s behavior and clothing during last week’s Presidential Turkey Pardon. Sasha and Malia are two of the youngest presidential children in the White House (as noted by the Washington Post) and I could be alone in this opinion but I don’t see how Ms. Lauten figured that the pardon of a Thanksgiving turkey is in any way interesting or imperative enough to a 16 and 13 year old that it could peak their adolescent interests. Ms. Lauten also made it a point to use their attire as reason to disrespect them. 

The attack on the First Children by Ms. Lauten is lacking the very class she instructed them to have. She allegedly "prayed for hours" and then apologized for her classless rant but the thought that crosses my mind lately is that our children no longer enjoy childhood for being murdered and bullied at such young ages and not allowed to just be kids. Sasha and Malia are real teenagers; they yawn during Inaugurations, take Selfies, and wave off invitations to pet turkeys named "Cheese" but what teen wouldn’t? 

We need to protect black childhood. At all costs. Protect them from every teacher who dismisses black intelligence, anyone who ever unnecessarily sexualized a black child, and cops who see unarmed black children as attackers.