Amy's Tragic Death: Something Has To Change

Up until last week, 16-year-old Amy Inita Joyner-Francis was just a normal teenage girl but that all changed on one fateful morning. On Thursday, April 21st Amy, a student at Howard High School of Technology in Delaware, was brutally beaten by a group of girls in the school bathroom. She was so badly injured that she was rushed to an area hospital where she died. 

I'm sure Amy, her family and friends never would've imagined her life coming to an end so soon and so violently. She was beaten to death at her school seemingly at the hands of her fellow classmates allegedly over a boy and it was even caught on cell phone video. There are so many things that make Amy's death such a tragedy.

First, Amy lost her life at the hands of other female students. Being catty or petty is a not so flattering category that unfortunately too many of us females fall into. It's not unheard of to have young girls (and even older women) fighting, arguing and bickering usually over something not worth it in the long run. We have enough in this world that degrades and belittles us. No we may not always get along with each other but regardless as females we should strive not to tear each other down, but to build each other up.

Secondly, the fight was allegedly over a boy. Girls fighting over boys is not new. It probably happens at high schools across America almost every day. However how many of those incidents end with a young girl losing her life? NO BOY is worth fighting over. Contrary to what you may believe when you're a starry eyed teenager, boys really do come and go. He may like you today and then like the next girl tomorrow. Who cares! You're in high school and have far more important things to focus on. A boy is not worth jeopardizing your future and for those involved, it definitely wasn't worth Amy losing her life.

Last but not least, it was caught on video. Fights and other tragedies being caught on video is a sad sign of the world we live in. Youtube, Vine, Instagram and other social media platforms are flooded with them. People often post, repost, watch and like these videos and sometimes they even go viral as they are viewed as entertaining and funny. There is NOTHING funny or entertaining about teenagers, children (and even adults) fighting each other like animals. The truth is it's sick - it's sick that instead of calling for help, people are more inclined to use their phones to record someone else getting hurt. In Amy's case, it's sick that someone would find it amusing to record what turned out to be the last few moments of a young girl's life.

We can agree that Amy's death was indeed a tragedy - it's touched people all across the globe. People are mourning, people are speaking out about it, but the truth is eventually many people, except those who were closest to her, will move on. The story will fade from the headlines and then what? We can't wait until another tragedy strikes to decide enough is enough. Somehow, someway we have to do something to solve what's become a sad norm in our society. We can't just talk about it, we have to step up and do something about it and it has to start now - before another parent has to bury their child because of senseless violence.