Prevention Month Calls Us To Protect Children

By Rosaland Tyler Associate Editor New Journal and Guide

Child abuse wounds may take decades to surface or heal, but the end of the story was crystal clear when a North Carolina teacher recently struck two students with a wrapped-up extension cord in early March, resigned from her job, and Lenoir City Police charged her with simple assault.

The incident was captured on video at South Lenoir High School located in Deep Run, N.C. about a month before the nation observes Child Abuse Prevention Month throughout the month of April.

Child abuse is still a ubiquitous but controversial issue. For example, a 2020 report showed nearly half of all adults, who are raising children 18 years or younger, said that they disapprove of it. But these same parents said they also whip and beat their own children.

This means when the North Carolina teacher, 71-year-old Patricia Graham recently aimed a rolled-up extension cord at a student who holds out his left arm in a defensive posture on the video and Graham tells the student, “Now sit down,” she was shining a light on a recent report from Child Trends11 which showed that nearly 76 percent of men and 65 percent of women agree that it is sometimes necessary to give a child a good hard spanking.

The point is most of the respondents said they actually believe in administering physical punishment. But experts say child abuse inflicts hidden but longterm psychic wounds and side effects. For example, child abuse survivors may obsessively relive trauma related to the abuse and avoid people, places, and events that are associated with their abuse long into adulthood.

Child abuse survivors may also needlessly feel fear, horror, anger, guilt, or shame; startle easily, and exhibit hypervigilance, irritability, or abrupt mood swings long after they grow up and leave home. Child abuse survivors may experience depression, suicidal behavior, substance use, and anti-social behaviors well into adulthood, which can affect their ability to succeed or nurture important relationships.

But child abuse does not always involve belts, extension cords, and other type of physical punishment. Sometimes it involves ongoing emotional abuse. see Child, page 6A and how he persevered through disappointments to become a national and noted author. Those in attendance included students from two Chesapeake schools and I.C. Norcom in Portsmouth who are reading his popular books for youth in their classrooms.

He said his bestselling Crossover novel took five years for him to write and re-write and finally have published after having it rejected several times by publishers. He refused to accept the book’s rejection and was prepared to self-publish, if necessary.

Since every word in the Crossover novel is part of a poem, Alexander said one of his biggest challenges of taking the book to television was “trying to figure out how to bring the poetry to the screen.”

Alexander also spoke about his work in Ghana where he opened a library and health clinic which is named in honor of his late mother Barbara Alexander, also an educator.

His awards are numerous to include three NAACP Image Award Nominations, The Loretta Scott King Author Honor and The Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award. He spent time before and after the program which included a reception to greet well-wishers in the crowd and pose for pictures.