She should not be rewarded for her terrible behavior.
Shiloh Hendrix, a Minnesota mother, acknowledged having called a black child the n-word at a park last week after the child allegedly stole something out of Hendrix’s son’s diaper bag. A bystander, Sharmake Omar, caught the aftermath on tape.
When asked, on video, if she called the child the slur, Hendrix said yes, stuck her tongue out, and flipped off Omar. Hendrix then repeated the slur multiple times while holding her toddler son on her hip.
Soon after the video went viral, Hendrix started an online fundraiser to ask for help “to assist in protecting my family.”
“I recently had a kid steal from my 18month old son’s diaper bag at a park. I called the kid out for what he was,” Hendrix said on the fundraiser page. “Another man, who we recently found out has had a history with law enforcement, proceeded to record me and follow me to my car. He then posted these videos online which has caused my family, and myself, great turmoil. My SSN has been leaked. My address, and phone number have been given out freely. My family members are being attacked.”
The GiveSendGo fundraiser has raised a staggering $706,280. Conservatives online have lamented the “racial double standard” behind the use of the n-word. It is unfair, they say, that black people can say the word but white people cannot.
Right-leaning commentators have also drawn a parallel between Hendrix’s case and that of Karmelo Anthony. Anthony, 17, allegedly fatally stabbed Austin Metcalf, 17, after Metcalf asked him to move at a track meet. The issue took on racial overtones almost immediately, as left-wing activists rallied to defend Anthony and quickly raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for his legal fund. The rush to defend Hendrix online seems to be following a similar pattern, driven as well by racial and political tribalism.
Context matters. In this case, Hendrix acknowledged having used a racial slur toward a child, who, Omar said, is five years old and autistic. She then doubled down by repeating it on camera. That’s obviously unacceptable. It is also unacceptable that Hendrix’s family now faces physical threats — but in no way should she be rewarded for her terrible behavior.