By Chad Dion Lassiter, Penn Live, August 31, 2020
In the wake of the murder of George Floyd, protests have erupted across the nation. The news cycle has been dominated by one graphic scene after another of a police officer killing an unarmed, subdued Black man. Unfortunately, children born at the turn of the millennium are growing up against a backdrop of unending images of lethal police brutality and violent White supremacy.
It is well-documented that prolonged exposure to violence is detrimental to youth. Whether it is the fictionalized violence portrayed on a screen or real-life violence suffered in abusive and neglectful homes, all children suffer. But for children of color there is a third source of violence – that of state-sanctioned police brutality aimed at Black people that is captured on video and replayed in an endless loop. For our children, bearing witness to images like the death of George Floyd’s suffocation at the hands of a white police officer is inescapable and psychologically costly.
According to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN), “A traumatic event is a frightening, dangerous, or violent event that poses a threat to a child’s life or bodily integrity. Witnessing a traumatic event that threatens life or physical security of a loved one can also be traumatic. This is particularly important for young children as their sense of safety depends on the perceived safety of their attachment figures.”
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