Another fatherless girl

JEROME TEELUCKSINGH

THE USA has a long, dark history of slavery, lynching, segregation and racial profiling. The emancipation of slaves, success of the civil rights era and the presidency of Barack Obama did not eradicate the virus of racism and germs of discrimination.

Last month, Texas was in the spotlight. The showdown between the White House and Texas over border controls was a cause of concern for many Americans and migrants.

This recent event reminded me of another big issue involving a Texan. It was the brutal murder of George Floyd, who was born in North Carolina but grew up in Houston’s Third Ward (in Texas) and was murdered in 2020 by a white police officer in Minneapolis.

My focus is on a little girl who was briefly reunited with her dad. She will now have to become accustomed to a life without her superhero. This innocent girl does not care about the occupation of her dad or his rap sheet. All Gianna knows is that her daddy is a hero…not any ordinary hero but a superhero. George would have made her laugh. His towering presence would have brightened her life.

While viewing the funeral, I thought about this man and his daughter. Our paths never crossed, but there was something that troubled me.

You might be wondering how I could interpret this horrible scenario through the eyes of a little black girl in America.

It was not simply racial/ethnic lenses that influenced my vision. Not many readers would know that my daughter is the same age as George's daughter. Additionally, it was a strange twist of fate that a few months before this ugly incident, I was with my daughter in Houston.

Little girls often believe that their dads are unstoppable, the fastest, smartest, funniest, best and the greatest. So I could imagine the strong admiration that Gianna had for her dad. Children often believe their parents, especially their dads, are invincible, strong and powerful. This is the stuff that superheroes are made of…not fear, weakness, sickness and cowardice.

Gianna did not care about the pandemic or the praise and lip service that they showered on her dad. She neither cared about the autopsy report nor the size of protests. All she knew is that her superhero will not be here today and tomorrow. She does not care about black America versus white America or the educational background of her superhero. And, even though Big George was not the perfect father, his love for his only child cannot be questioned.

The public, media and politicians judged and mocked her superhero’s state of mind, actions and character. However, this did not bother the little girl who now has an absence in her heart and no superhero.

Gianna neither cares about the Confederacy and Columbus statues that were targeted nor the sporting icons kneeling during the national anthem. All that matters is that her superhero will not be there for birthday parties and graduations. There will be murals and memorials, but there will be no superhero to walk her down the aisle.

This lonely girl will realise that one of her greatest challenges is not her blackness but being fatherless. America and the world might forget her and she might lose faith in humanity. She probably will not only blame the police but Uncle Sam for taking her precious hero.

She will soon realise that when a superhero dies, others arise who are stronger and will continue fighting against evil, racism, bigotry and injustice. These other heroes from the Black Lives Matter movement continued to fight for equality and equity. Too many of us have allowed the evils of the past to continue.

Floyd’s gruesome and painful death made me question issues of criminal justice reform, restorative justice and the significance of parole. It seems irrational and unfair, but if George Floyd had been denied parole, he would be alive today. Yes, if Floyd had been denied his right to freedom he probably would still be with his friends, family and daughter.

We need to understand that parole does not occur in a vacuum. The issue of parole is connected to families, society, community and the world.

Maybe it is a blessing in disguise when incarcerated Afro-Americans and other ethnic minorities are denied parole. This will ensure that the superheroes of the little girls and boys can live for another day. This is not a scenario limited to the US.

In Trinidad and Tobago the alarming levels of crime mean there are boys and girls who are fatherless because their superheroes are missing or murdered.