There is Nothing "Cute" About Children Pleading for Their Lives
Screengrab from video of Wynta-Amor Rogers at protest in New York.
While some people are calling Wynta-Amor Rogers “an inspiration,” some of us are mourning the death of her childhood.
It seems the latest poster child for Black Lives Matter is… literally a child. Her name is Wynta-Amor Rogers, she’s 7 years old, and she’s causing quite a stir as videos featuring her impassioned participation in protests make their way around the internet.
The first clip I came across was of Wynta-Amor walking in a protest in Merrick, New York. She’s filled with fire as she chants “No justice, No peace!”
While the clip tugged at my heart, it also didn’t sit right with my spirit. I found something intensely sad about this passionate girl, her little fists clenched as she demands justice.
It was the next clip on my timeline that severely disturbed me.
Wynta-Amor, seemingly at a different protest, takes the mic and leads protesters in several rounds of call-and-response. The pain in her voice is so tangible that I could not watch the clip in full the first time I saw it. The way her voice grates as she screams “Say his name” brought me to tears.
While plenty of people shared in that feeling of sorrow and unrest, across platforms, I also observed a lot of misguided support. People called her “cute,” “an inspiration,” “an old soul,” “a warrior,” and “a leader of the revolution.” One of the comments that most disturbed me was someone who said “I hope my future daughter is like her.” While all of these comments are well-intentioned, they have roots in much larger issues.
There is something profoundly wrong about a child begging for the validity of their own life. While it may seem adorable to see so much energy come from such a small body, the source of that energy is unrest and ultimately: fear. It is heartbreaking that at seven years old, she is already tired and terrified. Furthermore, it is sad that she has to fight the fight. Her childhood should be spent riding bikes in the street — not protesting in them. I do not fault her parents for bringing her to the rally. I believe it is up to each Black parent how they teach their children about these times and our nation’s history. It is not her presence at the protest that disturbs me, but rather the necessity of the protest in the first place, and the urgency she feels to participate in it.
It is also the romanticization of her participation that unsettles me. We should not be “hoping our daughters are like this one day” — we should hope that we don’t have to march anymore. We should hope that our children are allowed to remain children. We should hope to never hear our children’s broken voices as they negotiate their right to life. And in the event that our children must grow up in inequality, must march for their lives, must fight for their humanity — we should not age them up and dub them “old souls” and “warriors.” They are not.
They are children. Angry, scared, tired children. And they deserve their childhood back.
Imani Vaughn-Jones
Atlanta-based actress and writer. Firm believer in active love and the Oxford comma. The world is your oyster — grab some hot sauce.