Fighting the Tears of a Mother
By Jacinta Moss
By: Jacinta Moss, EdVoices Contributor, Mother, Advocate
Fighting the Tears of a Mother
Fighting the tears after I get the phone call.
Fighting the tears because our justice system was never built for us at all.
Fighting the tears to hold back the fear—
Because just because I have a Black son does not mean he’s a criminal.
I have a Black son who could be the next president.
A lawyer.
A chef.
A doctor.
I have a Black son who can be anything he puts his mind to.
There was an incident at school.
And then I heard the words no parent is ready for:
“You have a prepaid call from Malachi at the juvenile detention center.”
I had to fight the tears to accept the call.
Fight the tears so my baby could hear strength in my voice.
So he would know I am here.
That this is not the end.
Things were not right.
And I had to remind myself—
This was not his fault.
Nor was it mine.
I did the best I could as a mother.
They sent my son to a level four school, promising help.
Promising support for his autism.
But instead, they showed me how little trust I should have
In a system meant to “fix” Black children instead of protect them.
The other student was white.
The story was changed.
The truth was twisted.
And suddenly my 14-year-old son
Was facing a felony
For defending himself.
After years of teaching him to speak up.
To express his feelings.
To not be a follower.
To be a leader.
I taught my son to stand tall.
And the system tried to break him for it.
So I fight my tears in the courtroom.
I fight my tears at home.
I fight my tears in the community.
Because this has to stop.
Fighting my tears is what keeps me pushing forward—
To show every Black child,
Every minority child,
That no matter what gets in your way,
There is always a second chance.
If you see something, say something.
Because this system was never built for us.
It was built against us.
But if we come together—
If we support each other
Instead of fighting each other,
Instead of killing each other—
We can change it.
So fight your tears.
Fight the silence.
Fight the system.
They said it was a procedure.
Protocol.
Safety.
But safety does not arrive
in handcuffs.
My son—
a child with trembling hands
and a heart that feels too much—
was met not with comfort,
not with understanding,
but with authority.
They called the police.
And suddenly
a school hallway
became a corridor of judgment.
I remember the weight of it—
the air thick,
my breath shallow,
my motherhood stretched thin
between fear and fury.
Do they know
what it means
to take a Black boy
from a classroom
to JDC?
From desk
to detention.
From lesson plan
to locked doors.
He went in as a child
who needed support.
He walked out labeled
like something dangerous.
My tears were not quiet.
They carried history.
They carried every story
of mothers who prayed
their sons would be seen
as children first.
I trusted them.
I believed “Level 4” meant help.
Structure. Care. Protection.
Instead,
my child was escorted
not toward healing,
but toward punishment.
And something inside me broke—
not my belief in my son,
never that—
but my belief
that the system would love him
the way it promised.
Still, hear me:
My son is not a case number.
Not a file.
Not a statistic waiting to happen.
He is laughing.
He is brilliant.
He is tenderness wrapped in brown skin
that this world too often misunderstands.
And I will stand between him
and every door
that tries to close too soon.
Because he deserves
a classroom
that teaches—
not one
that cages.
But I am that momma that pray,
I am a mother who fights. for her son.
Jacinta Moss is a 34-year-old mother of two amazing children with special needs and a lifelong community advocate. Raised in Saint Paul and Coon Rapids, she graduated from St. Louis Park High School in 2010. Becoming a mother at 19 never stopped her—instead, it fueled her determination to fight for her dreams and for her children’s future.
A proud Christian woman with deep spiritual roots, Jacinta credits her strength to her father, her “Superman,” and her late mother, her forever “Wonder Woman.” Even through personal challenges, Jacinta has always shown up for others, a quality she considers one of her greatest strengths.
With many years of experience in family peer support, Jacinta is passionate about amplifying the voices of those who are often unheard. She believes that everyone communicates in their own way—and that true understanding comes from listening differently. Jacinta is a firm believer that when people stand together and fight together, anything is possible.
She is, above all, a fighter—for her children, her community, and a better world.
The preceding poem was authored by a member of the 2025 EdVoices cohort. Through our EdVoices program, EdAllies seeks to elevate diverse voices and foster a candid dialogue about education. While we provide our blog as a platform for EdVoices and other guest contributors, the views and opinions they express are solely their own.