This Week's Discussions: black girls can't make mistakes.
What's been blowing up the group chat this week.
Her name was Ma’Khia Bryant
Moments before a jury found former police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of murdering George Floyd, 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant was shot and killed by a Columbus, Ohio police officer during a chaotic fight outside her foster home.
Body cam footage shows Ma’Khia allegedly swinging what appears to be a knife at another person. The officer yells “get down” before shooting Ma’Khia four times in the chest.
Ma’Khia was a child, described by her family as affectionate and a good student. Her TikTok shows her smiling while doing hair tutorials. She wanted to be a cosmetologist.
But search her name on Twitter or read the comments on any story about her death, you’ll see comments like, “she deserved it” and “it was justified.” Now, the details of what exactly led to the confrontation that resulted in Ma’Khia’s death are unclear, but her foster mother said it started with an argument over doing chores. Other early reports say Ma’Khia was being jumped by older women and was using the knife in self defense. What is clear, however, is that Black girls must be perfect to receive an ounce of grace and empathy.
The officer who arrived to the scene reacted in seconds with deadly force; he never once yelled for Ma’Khia to drop the weapon. We’ve seen officers de-escalate situations where white men are armed with knives and swords. Kyle Rittenhouse walked right past police officers while holding a rifle after killing two people during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin last year. But, when it comes to a teenaged Black girl, deadly force was the only option.
What’s most disheartening on top of Ma’Khia losing her life is that much of the lack of empathy and adultification bias is coming from the Black community. Studies show that adults view Black girls as less innocent than white girls and this is linked to harsher treatment and higher standards for Black girls compared to their peers. Jacob Blake, who was shot by police in Kenosha last year and is now paralyzed from the waist down, was also armed with a knife when he was shot and had been previously charged with felony sexual assault. But, that didn’t stop thousands of people from marching for him and demanding justice. Why isn’t Ma’Khia given the same grace? Why is it expected that she had to make all the right decisions all the time?
There’s another glaring fact that cannot be ignored: When police arrived, there were adults on the scene, adults who should have broken up the fight. Instead, a man, who appears to be Ma’Khia’s father or guardian, is seen kicking one of the women on the ground moments before Ma’Khia is shot. We need to discuss this culture that in many ways encourages Black girls to fight rather than teaching that many things are not worth fighting over. From sites like WorldStar and MediaTakeOut, to wildly successful Instagram pages like The Shade Room, to TV shows like Basketball Wives, Black girls and women fighting is seen as entertainment and normal. The video of Ma’Khia’s shooting death is actually on WorldStar as if it’s just another fight video to rack up views. It’s not normal, and in Ma’Khia’s case, led to her losing her life.
As a former teenage girl, I’ve seen how fights over petty things can escalate so quickly. Like most teenagers will do at some point, Ma’Khia got into a heated situation. And if we’re going to be so quick to blame a teenage girl for her death, we need to also hold to account the adults in the situation who allowed this fight to spiral out of control.
When we say Black lives matter, that doesn’t mean just boys and men. It also means girls like Ma’Khia, who wasn’t perfect, but shouldn’t have needed to be.
playing soy
Playing Soy is my new weekly column about plant-based foods and going vegetarian. Each week, I’ll be writing about a new vegetarian food or recipe I’ve tried, and sharing tips on how to eat less meat.
When I consciously started eating less meat three years ago, there were a lot fewer alternate meat options. Many vegetarians don’t like the taste and texture of meat, even the fake kind, but if you’re like me and enjoy meaty dishes sometimes like chili and meatballs, you’re going to want some good alternatives.
Beyond Meat has a wide selection of products and I really enjoy their sausages and beef crumbles which is why I was excited to try their new ground beef to make meatballs for this coconut curry recipe.
But, I think they missed the mark on this one.
As soon as I opened the package, I knew this product probably wouldn’t work out for me. The “meat” has a very overpowering and unnatural smell (much like their burgers, which I don’t like, either) that was not masked by the seasoning or garlic at all. The smell even lingered on my clothes and through my apartment, winning out over the smell of the delicious curry I was making. I was hoping the smell would dissipate after cooking the meatballs throughly, however it did not, and the taste ruined the recipe for me.
I really wanted to like this, because I like making my own meatballs with spices and seasoning rather than using pre-made ones. But, I wouldn’t buy this product again. If you’re looking for a good alternative meatball, Quorn has a great one that I’ve used in pasta sauces.
I have to give the Beyond Ground Beef 1.5 out of 5. The one positive I will say is it had a good texture and formed the balls well.
unwinding
📚 Things to read
Love in Color: Mythical Tales from Around the World, Retold
🎧 Things to listen to
👩🏽🍳 Things to cook
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