This beautiful child is 14-year-old George Junius Stinney Jr.

82 years ago today on June 16, 1944, George was executed in South Carolina by electric chair. An all white male jury convicted him of murder without any evidence, without any legal representation, and without any deliberation. They took 10 minutes to return a guilty verdict. His parents were denied the right to see him as he sat in prison, alone, for 81 days. The state murdered him because he was a Black child in Jim Crow America.

81 days of torture as a child. 81 days of torture for a crime he didn't commit. 81 days of horror and separation from his parents and loved ones. 81 days of mental anguish that is unfathomable.

George was executed at 7:30pm on June 16, 1944. It wasn't until 70 years later in 2014 that his conviction was post-humously overturned.

None of the corrupt people who killed George were ever held accountable for their crime. Not the accusers. Not the prosecutors. Not the police. Not the judge. Not the jury. No one.

None of this is ancient history. George Stinney might still have been alive today.

As we think about Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Ahmaud Arbery, Aiyana Jones, Sandra Bland, Breonna Taylor — an ongoing list. We must ask ourselves — Have we advanced as a country?  As we see politicians try to revive Jim Crow, this is the world they envision. We must not allow this fascism to continue to advance.

I first learned about George's painful story when my eldest was only a year old. Now, as all three of my children are about his age, it's that much more painful. He was just a child. He was just a child.

Rest in power George. God be with you.