Harbor Island, Hillsborough County Florida  - Early Spring, 1991

          In  1991, I was a young mother of two, raising my children alone for the most part, and I was selected  by the local child welfare agency to attend one of the most important seminars of our time.  Coretta Scott King, and her daughter Yolanda were in Tampa teaching child abuse investigators about the necessity for special investigations  of rigor and heightened awareness of children of color due to the staggering minimalization of black children in society. I had never thought about the need to prioritize investigations of physical abuse in black children due to severity of injury and probability of harm left undetected in the darkness of the child's skin.

          Because of Coretta's tireless efforts, it was made possible for us to become a part of the Civil Rights Movement. It was not until we had dinner together at a restaurant on Harbor Island that our lives became intrinsically part and parcel of the totality of social justice and activism for all people, with acute attention paid to investigations of  all children, especially to children of Color, Asian children, Latino and South American Children and Children of Color.  The nature of child abuse and neglect investigations had to be realized, and the abuse of children had to be brought to the forefront of our concern and attentions.

           Women who came from our time suffered great insult and injury, mine with a grandmother who could not be  a schoolteacher after marriage, hers with marching with her husband, Martin in the beginning of their activism for the women's right to vote and participate in higher learning and so many other issues.   We became friends, and I became more inclined to use skills that I had learned. Such skills remain a gift to me today.    I had asked how to become a successful and attentive mother, alone at parenting for different reasons. My husband, long since gone- a veritable parlayer of explicit carousing.   Her husband Martin was brutally murdered during his career for justice and freedom of and for all people.

          Coretta filled in the humanistic blanks, and  made it clear that emotional and cultural things heavily influence an investigator’s perspective.   Added stressors would include the abrupt fact that  negative, positive, accelerated, racist or even multicultural plurality that people liaison with can rub deeply against them.  Even so, we must remain as inclusive and respectful as possible of everyone, including the “enemies and bullies.”  Our children must  learn that “We are all people of the same Creator.

      In investigations or even interviews for the purpose of actual investigation or  historical essay,  always remember that If a child tells you he or she is being abused, take the situation seriously.   If you think about it, there is so much to learn and so much to do to ensure the safety of an alleged victim of child abuse, or a person walking on the wings of the tightwire of time, desperately trying to be kind, respectful and attentive to all considered (growl) even the alleged perpetrator(s).  I would always wear pants and comfortable clothing so that I could sit on the floor or on the grass outside.  

      Always encourage the child to tell you what happened.  Focus on listening, not investigating, take good notes.   Remind the child that he or she isn't responsible for the abuse and that the responsibility goes to the abuser.  Be ready to repeat yourself.  You might say, "I'm so sorry you were hurt," "I'm glad that you told me," and "I'll do everything I can to help you." Let the child know you're available to talk or simply listen at any time.  If you are not in official capacity  you must report the abuse to your local child protective agency or the police department. Authorities will investigate the report and, if necessary, take steps to ensure the child's safety.   Ensure the child's safety by separating the abuser and the child, and by providing supervision if the child is in the presence of the abuser if possible.  If the abuse has occurred at school, make sure the principal of the school is also aware of the situation.

         Of the world of information on identifying abuse or neglect  that I learned in that week, abuse investigations can be difficult, because  careful evaluation of the situation, including checking for physical and behavioral signs, and coordinating the investigations  such as those of the police may be involved in investigating issues  of alleged or suspected abuse.  Factors that may guide the case can  include physical and  exam, for injuries and neglect, medical records, developmental and educational history, Written description observation of the child's behavior, and talking with the child, using language that the child can understand.   Written records of the observed behaviors between the parent/adult caretaker and the child are really appropriate.  

     Frequently during a physical child abuse investigation I have found that parents or caretakers who were abused as children are more likely to abuse their own children. A family history of spousal abuse also increases the likelihood of child abuse. Substance or alcohol abuse is another major problem for children, as well poverty.   Real life child abuse investigations cannot be completed in 15-23 minutes as seen on TV or at the movies.  Copious leads have to be researched.  I cannot begin to remember all of the stupid, vengeful,  and made up reports received and investigated by the authorities.  Physically abused children may often cringe, side-step or even space away from the alleged perpetrator fearing something will set him or her off and thrust them into a literal “world of’ hurt.”   You may have to reassure the child victim(s) that the abuse or neglect  is not their “fault.”

     With Coretta, and a reminder by the performance of Alicia Keys at the 2021 Super Bowl,  I remember the lyrics of the Black National Anthem.  

“Lift ev’ry voice and sing,

‘Til earth and heaven ring,

Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;

Let our rejoicing rise

High as the list’ning skies,

Let it resound as loud as the rolling sea.

Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,

Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us;

Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,

Let us march on ’till victory is won.

Stony the road we trod,

Bitter the chastening rod,

Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;

Yet with a steady beat,

Have not our weary feet

Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?

We have come over a way that with tears has been watered,

We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered,

Out from the gloomy past,

‘Til now we stand at last

Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.

God of our weary years,

God of our silent tears,

Thou who has brought us thus far on the way;

Thou who has by Thy might

Led us into the light,

Keep us forever in the path, we pray.

Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee,

Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee;

Shadowed beneath Thy hand,

May we forever stand,

True to our God,

True to our native land.” 

     In 2006,  my husband, Michael, my youngest son, Steve, and I attended a speech delivered by Coretta at the University of Dayton.  In 2009, Steve marched with me and my fellow Americorps members  on the day which we now celebrate the birth of the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr.  It was crazy cold that day, but we were mesmerized by the hundreds who marched across a weathered, crumbling bridge into the heart of Dayton Ohio. In my heart, I believe that the spirits of Coretta and Martin were with us on that day.

Sources

James, Timothy (Winter 2013). "The Story of the Black National Anthem, "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing", Written by James Weld on Johnson" (PDF). Selah. 1 (1). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 February 2015. Retrieved 10February 2021

Child Abuse. Childhelp® Phone: 800.4.A.CHILD (800.422.4453) People They Help: Child abuse victims, parents, concerned individuals. Child Sexual Abuse. Darkness to Light Phone: 866.FOR.LIGHT (866.367.5444) People They Help: Children and adults needing local information or resources about sexual abuse. Family Violence. National Domestic Violence Hotline