Instead of asking a teen who dozed off during a field trip why she fell asleep, a judge had the child cuffed and detained.
What was supposed to be a routine field trip to the courthouse turned into a nightmare for 15-year-old Eva Goodman, a Detroit teenager, who found herself handcuffed, forced into jail clothes, and detained for hours — all under the orders of Michigan’s 36th District Court Judge Kenneth King.
The dehumanization and mistreatment of the teen during the Aug. 13 incident sent shockwaves through Detroit, and people across social media asked why the child was treated so poorly, and speculated on if Eva had not been a young Black girl, would she have been treated the same
The questions highlight the broader issue of the adultification of Black children — how they are often perceived as older and less innocent than their white peers, leading to harsher treatment. Given that the teen is homeless, the incident also put the plight of Black students who are housing insecure in the spotlight.
The Adultification of Black Kids
Research shows that due to racial bias, people simply don’t assume the best of Black children, and are apt to criminalize them. Whether they’re in school or on a field trip, because of this bias, Black children are expected to behave like adults, and they’re deprived of the care, concern, grace, and empathy given to their white peers. They are adultified.
#BlackStudentsMatter #EducationalInequality #HomelessYouth