“Some of these kids are already lost when they’re two years old,” said a state representative in a room full of legislators, youth advocates, and colleagues. Gasps from the audience echoed through the committee room of the Louisiana House of Representatives.
It was the Fall 2024 legislative session and Republican Rep. Tony Bacala (R-Prairieville) was making the case for Amendment 3 – a bill seeking to send more youth to adult prisons.
I was at a complete loss for words – a rare instance for a writer and storyteller. I was present as the Strategic Storyteller at Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights, where my role utilizes narrative change to combat the harmful narratives surrounding Black youth. It was evident to me that Bacala’s statement hinted at a larger, false narrative: that a child who has not yet developed signs of empathy will never have the capacity to empathize in adulthood and, therefore, should be discarded and incarcerated…