Reflections on "The Rage of Innocence"
During this year’s YJAM (Youth Justice Action Month), I was drawn towards a re-read of Kristin Henning’s remarkable text: The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth. Although there are dozens of worthy books of this genre, I’ve not engaged with a text as sobering, thoughtful, scary, and at the same time, as insightful as the analytical narrative offered by Kristin -- and while the book is filled with useful gems, this one paragraph seems like a profound truth that to me reads like a cure or a curse -- or at least an indictment against who we are and aspire to be. Kristin writes,
Children are special. On our good days—when we are not angry or afraid of our children for taking risks and failing to live up to our high moral standards—we are patient and forgiving. Western notions of childhood also cloak most children with a presumption of innocence. Even when they make mistakes and commit crimes, we treat them with grace and compassion. Recent studies of the adolescent brain make us even more forgiving. We understand now more than ever why young people have such a hard time controlling their behaviors and making wise and responsible choices. And because most of us believe that young people can and will change with time and intervention, we choose not to punish most youth as severely as adults for their misdeeds. |
The curse, in my estimation, is despite all of our (data-driven) empirical and anecdotal knowledge, we still refuse to act upon what we know -- resisting opportunities to deeply invest in our children's welfare; instead allowing anger --and in some cases, political posturing-- to force us into a world where we nefariously treat children as if they were sacrificial ornaments that boasts our claim to toughness and intolerance but in reality it’s irrebuttable evidence of not theirs, but our own flawed judgement. But just as children have the uncanny ability to transform and mature, I long for the day when we adults will get out of our feelings and evolve into the fullness of our own adulthood, truly value our children, and find ourselves uncompromisingly committed to fully investing in their wellness and well-being while recognizing not just their inherent sanctity, but also their right to redemption. If this seems a tad bit accusatory or confrontational, it's only The Rage of Innocence which is a highly recommended read for those who want to explore beyond Just Mercy.
