SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Hey, y’all! Today is a different post because I was so moved by what happened this weekend, Sunday to be exact, that I needed to get all of my words out. The story that I am about to explain takes place in Liberia and is a difficult situation to talk about with the girls involved.

WHAT HAPPENED

My cousin sent me a video on Saturday but I didn’t get a chance to watch it until Sunday morning. The video is called Unprotected that was filmed by ProPublica. It’s a documentary about the organization called More than Me. More than Me was established by Katie Meyler with the intention of providing education to girls in Liberia, specifically in West Point, who were sexually exploited. Unfortunately, the fate she was trying to save the girls from, was the same situation that many found themselves in once again.

Katie Meyler connected with Macintosh Johnson, from West Point, to help identify girls that would benefit most from going to school, getting a scholarship, and getting off the street. This mutual relationship was great until it wasn’t. Later, reports came out about Macintosh raping girls in the school, as young as 11 years old.

What happened after was a nightmare. Katie and the board members tried to cover up what was going on in an effort not to tarnish the name of the organization. Once a police report was filed, Johnson was arrested and sent to jail. Macintosh stood trial but it was a hung jury which meant he would need to stand trial again. Two months after the mistrial, Macintosh died from AIDS. Instead of informing the girls that accused Macintosh, one board member said: “Our obligation is to the girls, not to know Macintosh Johnson’s cause of death”. This is very problematic since the girls could be tied to the same fate.

To this day, the board members’ only mistake that they concede to is hiring Macintosh.

MY THOUGHTS

I think Katie’s motives and intentions when starting this organization were pure but the way that this entire situation was handled was horrible. I am not diverting any blame from Macintosh. He is a deplorable, disgusting, excuse of a man. However, for the situation to get where it did, there is blame to go around. The government is to blame for not providing better opportunities for young people in the country to receive an education. The organization, specifically the board members, are to blame for completely botching the way they handled the entire situation upon discovering what Macintosh was doing.

The chilling statement that I remember several people in the video saying was “it wouldn’t surprise me.” Implying that the rumors surrounding Macintosh sleeping with young girls, prior to working for the school, didn’t surprise them.  That’s the attitude that they had about this entire situation: “it wouldn’t surprise me.” Let that sink in for a second. The organization set up to help girls receive an education had people not “surprised” to hear that Macintosh would then go and rape girls at the school.

All in all, it is a complicated situation because if we call for the closure of the schools, the girls that are being clothed, fed, and educated will be in a similar situation that they were before. But on the other hand, the board should be held responsible for the way the handled the situation. They know, I know, and you know that this situation would not have been handled this way if it happened in America. Just because these girls did not have a great situation does not mean that they should just be left by the wayside in a situation that they didn’t ask for. 

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

Honestly, I don’t know. I spoke with both my aunt and my mother about the situation and it’s just hopeless because my aunt explains that unfortunately, this situation is not uncommon in the country. Thus, it’s a mindset that needs to change. Right now, the best thing for me to do is bring awareness for what’s going on. Hopefully, awareness will bring some traction. So, please watch this video and sign the petition.

As always, thanks for stopping by!