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It has almost been 70 years since Brown v.s. The Broad of Education ruling was passed by the Supreme Court. When this ruling passed, both Black and White children were pushed into the Civil Rights conflict. Since then, Black children’s works in the Civil Rights Movement have been commemorated. However, when remembering the Civil Rights Movement, we often forget about the children. That is, we forget that they were children.

Black children, some younger than 10 years old, fought to end the oppression of segregation, mob killings, and racism. During this, one of their antagonists was other White children. Forgetting the conflicts between the Black and White children during the Civil Rights Movement overlooks their main battleground for equality.

Because of segregation, Black and White children grew up with very different and often opposing experiences. Black children participated in marches and sit-ins and were hunted by angry mobs and police. White children attended segregationalist demonstrations, went to Blackface minstrelsy shows, and even witnessed lynchings.

These children’s cultural upbringing explains how they participated in the racial conflict. Culture also delineates how Black adults taught Black children to be anti-racist while some white adults taught their children to be racist.

In many ways, the children could not function like children due to racism in the United States. Black and White childhoods were taken from them by the violence of white supremacists. It is always a tragedy when children’s innocence is not protected. Remembering this is vital to recognizing the cruelty of racism and continuing to fight it. That is why it is pertinent to always ask: “What about the Children?”

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