Girl, 11, says boy, 12, battered her with pole for saying ‘My black is beautiful’

An 11 year-old girl says a 12 year-old boy battered her with a pole in a racist attack after she told him: ‘My black is beautiful.’ Neveah Thomas was hospitalized with her injuries following the attack at the apartment complex where she lives in Shawnee, Kansas, last week.

The youngster says she and friends were playing when the boy began hurling racist insults. Neveah says she responded to him by saying ‘My black is beautiful,’ with the boy clobbering her with the pole in response.

The schoolgirl was left covered in cuts and bruises and required a hospital stay. Speaking after she was discharged, Neveah told WDAF: ‘It’s okay if were different or we have different opinions. But it’s not okay to hate and judge each other on the color and their skin.’

Police have charged the boy – who has not been named because of his age – with aggravated battery and put him on house arrest. They say there is no evidence the attack was racially motivated.

Neveah and her family insist the assault is a hate crime, with their attorney LaRonna Lassiter-Saunders urging parents to teach their children about the evils of racism.

Lassier-Saunders said: ‘Let’s do away with the hatred and the racism because it is affecting our children.

‘Do we want our kids bearing the burden of our hatred, our racism, hurting each other over the adults?’

Neveah’s attack comes amid ongoing racial equality protests across the United States. Black Lives Matter supporters have taken to the streets regularly since security guard George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin on May 25.

Chauvin was later fired with his job, and has since been charged with Floyd’s murder.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk

For more stories like this, check our news page