If you haven't read about the murder of 10 year-old Victoria Martens, do it before you continue reading this. It's going to hurt. It's going to take time out of your busy day. It's going to enrage you and disturb you. It might make you cry, and it should.
No 10-year-old child should ever be drugged and sexually assaulted. No child should ever be choked, stabbed, dismembered and set on fire. No child's mother should ever be a suspect along with two others for murdering her own child. No child should ever face such a brutal death, which occurred just hours before Victoria Martens' 10th birthday party.
This is the world we live in. What happened to Victoria Martens didn't happen in a horror movie; the cruel murder of Victoria Martens happened right here in the country we call America, land of the free.
I'm sitting here just days before I begin my senior year in college and I'm angry. I'm sick to my stomach that someone could even think of doing something as horrific as what happened to Victoria Martens in New Mexico. I'm mad at myself that for worrying about what I'm going to wear on my first day of classes and stressing over the workload I will have when classes start.
We cannot be immune to the impact that injustice should have on us. We cannot merely scroll through news articles on our phones and do nothing. The injustice Victoria Martens faced has happened and continues to happen to children and people in our country and around the world.
But what can we do? We can't go back and change what happened to Victoria Martens. The suspects in Victoria Martens' case won't face a death penalty, since the death penalty isn't legal in New Mexico. If you think that shit just happens and there's nothing we can do for Victoria Martens' or any other acts of injustice, you're wrong.
We need to educate ourselves. Read Victoria's story on multiple news platforms even though it's painful. Stay involved in following current events, not just tragic events but positive stories as well.
We need to share Victoria Martens' story. Use social media, email, word of mouth, etc.
We need to talk to the children, the youth of our nation, about current events. Children often have a lot of questions, and we should do our best to answer them. Here's a tip sheet from PBS on talking to children about the news.
We need to be aware. Anyone can report suspected child abuse or neglect. Each state addresses this issue in different ways. Read more on Child Welfare Information Gateway.
We need to vote for officials, politicians, and laws.
We need to reflect. Whether you're religious or not, take a moment of silence in your busy day to think, reflect and/or pray for her, her family, her friends, and for justice.
We need to love one another. Go out of your way to do something kind for someone. Smile at a stranger, hold the door open, let someone go in front of you in line. We can each make a small impact that together makes a tangible difference.
I'm not saying there's an answer to end injustice. I don't have the solution to bringing justice and peace into our world. But each and everyone of us is capable of doing something. Find your something, and take action, no matter how big or small.
