Rant

Nothing grinds me gears more than when people refer to black children/teens (pretty much anyone under the age of 20) as adults.

Like oh my gosh.

To a lot of people it may not seem like much, but it really sets me off.

Mainly because I know as a black GIRL black kids are never really entitled to have innocence.

Like black girls get sexualized from a young age.

And black boys get deemed as grown from a young age.

Case and point, Tamir Rice. (Shot this week. He was 12)

A lot of black bodies develop rapidly at a young age.

Like I can't talk for everyone, but I have a baby face. But that didn't stop God and genes from giving me a booty way before puberty.

And black boys get taller and stronger and by the time they hit 8th grade you can best believe they competing with their daddy/brother in the height department.

And due to institutional racism and more, we never get the right to be 'kids'.

We're expected to be sexually active earlier than everyone (which kind of falls into the teen pregnancy stereotype) and just all around lack of innocence.

We never get that opportunity of innocence.

We're never seen as things worthy of protection.

And that leaves the most bitter taste in my mouth and makes me shake.

Like oh my gosh.

I hate it. Oh my gosh I hate it so much.

It's hard enough to not been seen as human, but to not be seen as something that can hold innocence and worth protection?

Just. wow.

If you're under 20, your life hasn't started. There's still a high chance you haven't even gone beyond a reachable distance from your parents by yourself.

No job. No bills. No taxes.

Fuck. I know my biggest worry is how the fuck I'm gonna get out of doing my chores.

I ain't grown by far.

And neither is any other black kid on or near my age is either.

So why aren't we treated as such?

Oh, right.

That's why.