In the wake of Trayvon, Mary Morton asks ‘When will we listen to Black Youth?’
In the wake of the Trayvon Martin tragedy, a brand new op-ed from filmmaker Mary Morton asks the all-too-important question; When will we listen to Black Youth?
There are many wonderful and thoughtful individuals and organizations that are working every day towards the liberation of young Black people. We know that our youth are suffering under the weight of overt and systemic oppression. They need our love, and they need our support and advocacy.
But they also need to be heard.
“We talk about the concerns of black youth; we lament their limited opportunities, and we develop programs, make laws and craft policies for the supposed purpose of trying to make things better for these marginalized, often ignored youth. Yet we most often do all of this work without consulting one single young person.
Our film’s title comes from one young man from Bayiew in San Francisco, who said:, “I don’t drink, I don’t do drugs, but I get treated the same way as my friends who do all that. I guess I just woke up Black.”
If not now, when? When will we create spaces for black youth to speak on their own behalf? How many lives have to be lost?”
Read the rest of this fascinating piece at HuffingtonPost.com
Do you agree with Mary Morton?
How important is it that we create spaces for Black Youth to speak out?
Sound off below!