Toya Graham, a Baltimore city resident is being praised as 'Mother of The Year' by the media and white America after she was recorded slapping and pulling her teenage son off the streets of Baltimore during the peaceful protest that turned into riots after the death of Freddie Gray.
As I applaud her for doing what many of our mothers would have done, I'm having a hard time believing the media understands why she did what she did. And if they did understand, would the praises remain? I doubt it!
As I applaud her for doing what many of our mothers would have done, I'm having a hard time believing the media understands why she did what she did. And if they did understand, would the praises remain? I doubt it!
Young black men are 21 more times likely than young white men to be shot and killed by the police. Graham's decision to snatch her son up and drag him home was out of fear. She did not want him to be another #hashtag!
“That’s my only son and I don’t want him to be a #FreddieGray." She admitted in an interview with CBS. " ... I just wanted to make sure I had gotten my son home."
Graham was protecting her son from the very people that are now praising her as this new super hero. The Baltimore police commissioner even suggested more mothers should have been out there beating on their kids and dragging them home. Probably because they wish they could beat, kick, slap and pull black men in the same manner to somehow "set them straight" with out any questions being asked.
If the timing, setting and situation was different I'm 100% sure Graham would have had child protective services waiting at her door step. For many years, black parents have been condemned for disciplining their children but this time, the media is all for it!
So if CPS tells us it's unacceptable to discipline your child for acting out, why is it acceptable to beat black children to make them 'respect the police'? Where did the change of heart come from?
Toya Graham is in fact a super mom, please don't get it misconstrued I am not condemning her actions. But the media's hypocrisy is evident and they're using her to send a message that's it's ok to beat on black children as long as it's benefiting the law! You praise her for using violence but turn around and call Baltimore protestors everything in the book besides a child of God when their actions are similar!