"Everywhere, everywhere, children are the scorned people of the earth"

Toni Morrison’s words weigh with deep significance; she names children as “the scorned people of the earth,” highlighting a truth that transcends borders and eras. Though often seen as symbols of innocence and hope, children routinely endure neglect, marginalization, and even violence at the hands of societies meant to nurture them. Their lack of political agency, economic power, and physical strength places them in positions of profound vulnerability, reliant entirely on the mercy and care of adults and institutions.

Across the world, the evidence is clear. From child labor in factories and fields to underfunded schools and unsafe neighborhoods, the needs of children are frequently subordinated to the interests of adults. Even in affluent societies, children can be dismissed, silenced, or forced to conform to systems and rules that ignore their unique perspectives and urgent requirements for care, expression, and security. They cannot vote, shape laws, or command respect in public life, which often leaves their interests underrepresented.

Morrison’s words also evoke the psychic wound inflicted on children through trauma, poverty, family instability, and societal prejudice. Scorning children is not always overt mistreatment; it can be the subtle, persistent denial of their full humanity, their intelligence, and their pain. The world’s disregard is etched into underfunded child welfare systems, lack of mental health resources, and the normalization of corporal punishment or humiliation. By calling out this universal disregard, Morrison implores listeners to reflect on how societies rationalize, perpetuate, and ignore the suffering of their youngest members.

Implicit in her statement is a call to conscience: what would it mean to truly honor children as worthy and equal inhabitants of the earth, rather than objects to control or burdens to bear? Morrison’s vision provokes a necessary discomfort, pressing us to reckon with the world we have built for our children, and what it says about ourselves.