OpEd: 'Simply put, Black children should not have to be “excellent” to gain public sympathy.'
As impressive as Ralph Yarl’s accomplishments are, reading about them over and over has unlocked a different kind of heartbreak in me. Simply put, Black children should not have to be “excellent” to gain public sympathy. Whether the victim is a straight-A student or a high school dropout, they are still deserving of life, and there is no excuse for unprovoked violence against them.
Ralph’s achievements are impressive and should be celebrated as such. But when we harp on only his accolades, we are shadowing the bigger picture, and inadvertently creating a narrative in which there is a “right” kind of Black kid., writer Samuel Getachew called out this double standard, acknowledging the very real fear it evokes for him as a young Black man.
Other online creators have also called out this double standard. Nicque Marina, who has over 500,000 subscribers on YouTube, voiced heron her channel: “Why do we as Black people have to check certain boxes of docility, of goodness, of utility to society….?” “Yeah, [Ralph Yarl is] impressive,” Marina said in the video. “But he [is] also just a 16-year-old boy.”
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Shooting of Teen Who Rang Doorbell at Wrong House Unsettles Kansas CityKANSAS CITY, Mo. — On Tuesday morning, hundreds of Staley High School students filled the street outside their school in a display of anger and support for their fellow student, Ralph Yarl, who was shot by a homeowner after he rang a doorbell at the wrong house in Kansas City last week. One sign read, “We Walk for Ralph.” Another demanded, “Justice 4 Ralph Yarl.” By day’s end, they found some measure of relief, as Andrew D. Lester, the 84-year-old man accused of shooting Ralph, surrendered to au
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Ralph Yarl making stunning recovery, family lawyer saysThe attorney for Ralph Yarl's family says the Black teenager was shot by a white homeowner at point-blank range in the head but miraculously survived the bullet to his skull. As the 16-year-old Yarl recovers at home, the 84-year-old white owner of the Kansas City, Missouri, home where Yarl mistakenly went to pick up his brothers faces his first court appearance Wednesday. Andrew Lester is charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action. He could face life in prison if convicted. Lester does not yet have a listed attorney.
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Ralph Yarl expected to make full recovery; shooter out on bondThe 16-year-old is recovering after being shot in the head and arm. His family says he is walking and talking.
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Biden's responses to Kaylin Gillis and Ralph Yarl shootings raise questionsConservatives like Armstrong Williams and Tucker Carlson accused Biden of giving more relevance to Yarl's shooting despite Gillis' case being very similar.
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Ralph Yarl expected to make full recovery, lawyer saysThe 16-year-old who was shot when he went to the wrong house to pick up his siblings is expected to make a full recovery.
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Homeowner accused of shooting Ralph Yarl pleads not guiltyAndrew Lester, the 84-year-old white man accused of shooting Ralph Yarl, a Black teenager, pleaded not guilty in his first court appearance
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