Growing Up During the LA Riots

https://www.colorlines.com/articles/two-decades-later-children-la-riots-share-memories

The above link is an article that gives us a good glimpse of what it was like to be a child
during the 1992 L.A. riots. There are several interviews in this article where people who
were at a young age during the event shared their experiences.

As I viewed this article, I came to a better understanding that I had a much more
fortunate childhood than the people who were interviewed. One of the people who was
interviewed, Edson, shared how his cousins and he tried to prevent their fathers from
having any part of the dangerous events that they had seen on television. I found this
rather important since the way I saw the riots before reading the article was more
focused on how the adults had to suffer. I was too distracted with imagining how bad
the riots must have been from the perspective of an adult during that time that I forgot
think how the children must have felt. Edson’s past got me to think about how there
were children during the time of the riots who didn't really understand what was
happening but were still in fear of their violent and suddenly changing environment
around them.

Another childhood during the 1992 L.A. riots, that was shared by Dalena, allowed me to
further see how bad it was to be a child back then. Dalena mentioned that during one of
her school bus rides home, she was uncertain if she was actually going to be able to
return to her family because of the events that had occurred during the time. Through
her story, I can see how the riots could cause concern and fright for children who were
separated from their families. A child should never have to experience fear for being
temporarily separated from her family because of school. From the experiences that
were mentioned in the article, I’ve come to realize that any child during the time of the
riots would be worried and discomforted whenever they are separated from a family
member or someone from their family needs to temporarily leave them. The thought of
possibly not being able to see someone you’re close to again would definitely make me
feel the same way. I haven’t had any similar experiences in my childhood so I cannot
say that I know exactly what it would be like to live during the 1992 L.A. riots.
However, I do understand the event was a rather bad experience, especially for children.

-Hardwin Bui