By Carlos Prates Tavares, age 16 On May 26, after the death of George Floyd, protests against police brutality and racism sparked across the country. These protests are reminiscent of the civil rights movement, bearing uncanny resemblances as well as differences. While their goals are similar, the civil rights movement fought against explicitly racist policies, …
By Samaira Bunburry, age 12 The Southern sun shone down upon the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, on March 7, 1965. Arms locked in arms, the sound of hundreds of footsteps thumped proudly, for this was the day that voices turned into power. And leading that crowd was John Lewis, a civil rights icon …
IndyTeens: “The Time Has Chosen Us”: The Legacy of John Lewis Read More »
By Jessie Mitnick, age 12 Asheville, North Carolina, is acknowledging its racist actions and policies by giving reparations to its Black community. On July 14, the Asheville City Council voted unanimously to provide reparations and apologize for their engagement in slavery. Discrimination on the basis of race has existed in the United States since its …
IndyTeens: Ashville, North Carolina, Approves Reparations for Black Residents Read More »
By Lucia Mejia Cárdenas, age 12 To understand the complicated and messy subject that is the relationship between Latinx movements and Black movements, it is essential to first understand that racism and colorism in the Latinx community very much exists. Lighter skin has always been seen as better, and Afro-Latinx people are nearly always erased, …
IndyTeens Op-Ed: “Tu Lucha Es Mi Lucha,” — Your Struggle Is My Struggle Read More »
By Varick Mazumder age 10 and IndyKids Staff While according to White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany, President Trump is “appalled” by the current BLM movement, some states have already started taking steps toward reexamining their police systems, and some countries provide ideal examples of how this can be achieved. The Republic of Georgia, for example, …
Real-World Examples of Police Defunding and Reform Read More »
By Sabrina Mazumder, age 12 and IndyKids Staff George Floyd’s death at the hands of cops has reignited the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement globally. On May 25, Floyd, a Black man, was killed after a white police officer pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes, even after Floyd told the officer, …
How George Floyd’s Death Sparked New Momentum for the BLM Movement Read More »
By Aman Mehrota, age 10 and IndyKids Staff The United States police forces are a pretty modern invention. Early police forces were privately funded systems governed by the rich white elite to protect property. Some say that systemic racism has always been the foundation of policing in the United States and slave patrols of the …
A Brief History of Policing in the United States Read More »
By Inaaya Majid, age 10 Originally published July, 2020 Mass Black Lives Matter protests in Portland against police brutality and racial violence have been ongoing ever since May 29. When the protests started, they were very peaceful and nonviolent. But violence escalated after police began shooting at protesters with plastic bullets and tear-gassed innocent people. …
By Lukas Azcurrain, age 14 Monuments that commemorate Confederate soldiers and other racist historical figures whose fortunes were built on the slave trade have been at the forefront of recent conversations in the United States. After the murder of George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter movement was revitilized, and people started to take to the …
IndyTeens Op-Ed: Confederate Statues? Take Them Down! Read More »
By Melina Cantagallo, age 12 While the Black Lives Matter movement was established seven years ago, the death of George Floyd in May, among other Black lives at the hands of police, has raised the question: “Are the police really keeping us safe?” According to a Gallup poll from late July, 94% of Americans believe …
