What about the Black and Brown Kids?

President Obama made a powerful argument for new gun regulations in his State of the Union speech on February 12th by touching on recent tragedies.  Obama’s emotional call for a vote on an assault weapons ban, increased background checks and other gun control measures brought up a number of American towns recently touched by gun violence.  “The families of Newtown deserve a vote. The families of Aurora deserve a vote. The families of Oak Creek, and Tucson, and Blacksburg … they deserve a simple vote.”  Episodes of gun violence against children understandably headline Obama’s passionate plea, but noticeably absent from Obama’s speech was any mention of Chicago, Oakland, Baton Rouge or any of the other major American cities where black and Latino youth comprise a disproportionate share of youth gun deaths.

Source: Salon.com Dataset

The omission of these cities from The State of the Union speech cannot be blamed on President Obama’s indifference.  He clearly cares about kids getting gunned down in cities like Chicago.  Obama finished his State of the Union tour speaking at Hyde Park and specifically addressed problems of gun violence in the black community.  However, these personal concerns did not make it into his nationally televised messaging on the necessity of stricter gun control.

The President’s emphasis on white communities scarred by violence also cannot be wholly attributed to the sensationalism of mass shootings.  The Aurora or Blacksburg perpetrators’ insanity was indeed morbidly fascinating to the public, but no less so than some of the gangland criminals or distraught youth that kill with guns in communities of color.  And even though the body counts for America’s mass shootings make headlines, mainstream newspapers have no shortage of articles about the steady trickle of shooting deaths in cities like Chicago or Oakland.

The fact is that while black and Latino youth have a much higher chance of being subject to gun violence, Obama puts forward white kids as the face of tragedy because American culture (and politics) responds more strongly to the death of white children than children of color.  That’s a sad truth and one that Americans will hopefully recognize and work to change.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2008-2009. “Fatal Injury Reports.”