There’s Something Very Wrong When Middle-Aged White Women Start Calling the Police on 9-yr-old Black Boys (Falsely) for “Sexual Assault”
I have been taking a brief break from mainstream media — which I recommend everyone do from time to time— so I am kind of late in learning of this incident. But now that I do know, I am having a difficult time knowing where to start. Firstly, as a black woman, and mother of two young black boys, let me say that this whole situation feels extremely unconformable, and dare I say, F****d up, and on so many levels. The first thing that came to mind when I found out about this was Emmett Till. And while the child involved wasn't dragged out of his house in the middle of the night and brutally killed, the parallels are undeniable. Having said that, you can bet that two things have occurred as a result of this unfortunate event.
One, this young child has been needlessly and maliciously traumatized. And two, that this serves as an in-your-face example of just how pervasive and entrenched racism is within our society. The 53-year-old white woman involved in the incident — who has just been identified as Teresa Klein — has issued an apology for falsely accusing the child of sexually assaulting her — which apparently amounts to groping her butt in this case. And while I’m glad that she had the grace to apologize, I am disturbed at her eagerness to insist that a 9-year-old child — of any race — had sexually assaulted her.
What? Like how is that even possible? Think about it. How many 9-year-old children do you know who are able — I mean really able — to sexually assault a grown woman? I mean C’mon. Every case that I know of wherein young boys — none as young as nine I might add— have engaged in sexual acts and/or activities with grown women — almost always white — the women have been charged with a crime and rightfully so since the boys were under the age of legal consent. To be honest, this incident really has me questioning Ms. Klein's mind set and motives. Does she have some kind of pedophilia going on? And I am speaking as a sexual assault survivor myself. It just doesn't make any sense. The owner of the deli in which the incident occurred has stated that Ms. Klein has a history of being “unwell,” whatever that means.
Yes, young children can — and sometimes do — act out sexually. However, when children— especially young children — act out they almost always do it with other children. Moreover, if children are outing out sexually with adults you can be certain that it not a situation wherein the adult is the victim. None of this applies to this incident and I’m just putting it out there.
Still, it’s not completely unheard of for an underage boy to tap a woman’s behind — although that is certainly not the case here. However, I have never known of a woman who has had her behind tapped by an underage boy — specifically a small child — to call the police and claim to be sexually assaulted. Had that happened — behind being tapped, that is — most normal women would have gently pulled the child aside and explained how and why such behavior is inappropriate and would have gone about her day.
Needless to say, the incident has attracted a lot of attention. Do I honestly believe that a middle-aged white woman would have called the police — even if a young child/boy had tapped her on the behind— on a small white child, I have to say not in a million years. It really broke my heart to see that young child speaking, and tears running down his face. Isn't it hard enough being a black man in America? As it was during slavery and Jim Crow, even childhood —a time that is supposed to be innocent and carefree— is no shield from the all to grown up world of discrimination and bigotry. If young black boys — in 2018 no less — can’t even walk past a white woman without being accused of doing something unbecoming? Then we — America — are in a sad state and no better than we were in 1955.
#NAFPAorg #BlackLivesMatter #LivingWhileBlack #Racism #WhitePrivilege #KeepBlackFamiliesTogether
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Latagia Copeland-Tyronce, MSW, CADAS, is a longtime parental rights and social justice advocate, child welfare reform activist, writer/blogger, and journalist whose work has been featured in BlackMattersUs and Rise Magazine. She is the founder, president, and executive director of the National African American Families First and Preservation Association (NAFPA) a groundbreaking 501c4 nonprofit origination, the first of its kind, devoted exclusively to the protection and preservation of the African American (Black) Family though policy and legislative advocacy.
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