A city council meeting following the fatal police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott last year was out of control at times as a long list of residents spoke, calling for justice. And then there was this 9-year-old, Zianna Oliphant who grabbed everyone鈥檚 attention.
鈥淲e are black people and we shouldn鈥檛 have to feel like this. We shouldn鈥檛 have to protest cause y鈥檃ll are treating us wrong. We do this because we have rights,鈥� Zianna said to thunderous applause.
Her testimony went viral on the web, in newscasts and Zianna was interviewed by local, national and international media outlets about that speech.
Last week, Zianna was on the Boardwalk in north Charlotte, where she comes often with her mother and big brother. The personable, petite 10-year-old, with braids and an infectious smile, made friends with a couple feeding the ducks as her mother looked on.
鈥淚 like those ducks with the green cause it's more pretty and blends in good,鈥� she told them.
In recalling the city council meeting, Zianna says she was shaking and had butterflies in her stomach the night she spoke to the council. She was determined to make her feelings known and says she鈥檚 glad she did.
鈥淚t made me feel like I did something right and it made me feel happy to do something like that and I was thinking it can be something that I can remember for myself and people can remember of me,鈥� Zianna said.
But Zianna didn鈥檛 expect what came next--interviews on network news shows, the BBC. All of a sudden she was everywhere
鈥淚 was like it鈥檚 just a speech that came from my heart and I think it鈥檚 normal, go to sleep, wake up, but the next day my momma鈥檚 phone is just ring, ring, ring somebody texting her and calling her for interviews. I didn鈥檛 expect it to go that crazy,鈥� Zianna said.
Her mother Precious Oliphant says they get recognized when they鈥檙e out in public all the time and that people show her daughter a lot of love. She says she鈥檚 seen a big change in her daughter over the past year.
鈥淶ianna became so courageous, so brave. It gave her a boost of confidence because so many people were reaching out to her and telling her how special and amazing and beautiful she is,鈥� Precious Oliphant said. 鈥淣ow she knows how important it is to stand up for herself.鈥�
And for others, Zihanna says. After seeing protests on the news following the fatal Keith Scott shooting and hearing of police shootings in other cities, Zianna says it made her want to join the protesters.
鈥淚 got so obsessed with it and wanted to protest because I understand that the police have to do their job but it鈥檚 not their job to kill innocent black men but I don鈥檛 understand what鈥檚 wrong with this world now,鈥� Zianna said. 鈥淵ears ago, it was not like this. It鈥檚 something that done irritated the police and it鈥檚 making them kill innocent black men.鈥�
Zianna says she does not think things have gotten better over the past year and she still has mixed feelings about police officers.
鈥淚 met this one police officer, from the commercial, the basketball cop and he鈥檚 pretty generous and a happy person but any other ones, I still feel the same. I just don鈥檛, uh, uh,鈥� Zianna said.
Last year Zianna spent a week in New York shooting a Microsoft commercial on positivity that she was prominently featured in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpBRZGuXGX0
She also traveled to Florida to participate in a youth forum with police officers. When asked if she gets afraid when she sees a police officer, she said, 鈥淣ope. I stand proudly and I have confidence in myself. I鈥檓 not gonna let nobody bring me down, no matter what they say. I will keep on going, walking confidently, holding my head up."
Zianna has met a lot of local leaders, members of the Charlotte Hornets and formed a bond with the coach, Steve Clifford. She even met Hillary Clinton during a presidential campaign visit to Charlotte.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 really enjoy it (meeting Clinton) that much because like she left without saying anything. All she came and said, sit down and brought me up to the stage to take a whole bunch of pictures and didn鈥檛 talk to me. I was kind of disappointed,鈥� Zianna said.
That鈥檚 understandable for someone who wants to be the first female president one day. But for now, Zianna is concerned about Charlotte and says she hopes local police will work closer with communities and treat all citizens justly. Her message as the anniversary for Keith Scott's fatal shooting nears, 鈥淲hat I鈥檇 like to say to the people that are marching, keep marching until we get equal and treated the same way as other people are treated and never stop fighting for who we are.鈥�
With the requests for interviews still pouring in it鈥檚 a wonder Zianna has time for just being a 10-year-old child. No problem she said.
鈥淎bsolutely, I think I can hang on to that,鈥� she said.
Copyright 2021 WFAE. To see more, visit . 9(MDAxNzg0MDExMDEyMTYyMjc1MDE3NGVmMw004))
