adultification

Black children are not killed because police fail to recognize them as children. They are killed because they are Black. 

With much left to unpack in the guilty Derek Chauvin verdict over the murder of George Floyd, Ma'Khia's death details exactly how the pendulum swings for Black women and girls.

The violence is rooted in the desire to violate and dominate the Black women's bodies, often perceived as a threat. It is anchored in the term "adultifcation" and systemic racism, where Black girls are often perceived to be older and more mature than they actually are.