8-Year-Old Organizes ‘Children’s Black Lives Matter’ Protest

On Saturday, June 27, 8-year-old Nolan Davis led demonstrators from a park in his hometown of Kirkwood, Missouri to the city center in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd. But they were not the unusual demonstrators—they were hundreds of children.

Nolan helped organize the protest along with his mother, Kristin Davis, and, according to CNN, he was inspired to lead his own demonstration after the mother-son pair attended other rallies in the St. Louis-area.

Nolan and his mother posted a flier on Facebook with the title “Children’s Black Lives Matter March” to raise awareness of their demonstration. Nolan told CNN he was expecting about 50 people to show up. But when he arrived at the park on Saturday morning, an estimated 700 people were ready to support his march, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Davis, who is white and adopted Nolan and his 5-year-old sister Caroline who are both Black, says that while she could never understand what her children go through, she’s tried to have regular conversations with them about racism to keep them safe.

“We’re preparing them for when they’re older and taller and bigger,” Davis told the news outlet. “When they’re not going to be perceived as cute little kids anymore.”

During the protest, Nolan held up a sign that read “Kids Can Make a Change,” according to photos from St. Louis-Post Dispatch. See pictures of the event here.

BET has been covering every angle of the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks and other social justice cases and the subsequent aftermath and protests. For our continuing coverage, click here.