WATCH: Brave 9-Year-Old Girl’s Testimony On Police Brutality Will Make You Cry

A 9-year-old girl named Zianna Oliphant has won the hearts of the entire country with her moving testimony to the City Council in Charlotte, North Carolina. Zianna spoke at the first city council meeting after Keith Lamont Scott was fatally shot by police in Charlotte.

Zianna broke down into tears as she talked about how black people are treated differently just because of the color of their skin. Adults at the meeting shouted words of encouragement, and she continued with her testimony.

Zianna said:

“It’s a shame that our fathers and mothers are killed and we can’t even see them anymore. It’s a shame that we have to go to the graveyard and bury them. And we have tears and we shouldn’t have tears. We need our fathers and mothers to be by our side.”

Zianna’s words and her tears encapsulate the effect police brutality has on black communities.

Zianna’s mother, Precious Oliphant, said she became emotional while listening to her daughter speak. She said:

“I shouldn’t have to enlighten my kids on discrimination and racism.”

Oliphant says that her children participate in a police youth league and have always seen police officers as role models. But she also said that her children have seen how some police officers discriminate based on skin color. For example, her kids have been in the car with her when she was pulled over for issues she thought were “irrelevant.”

Charlotte residents have criticized the police for Scott’s death, saying it is yet another example of police brutality. Zianna was not the only young person who spoke at the city council meeting. A young boy stood up and said:

“Every morning when I wake up I am scared that I won’t grow to be a black man.”

In an interview with CBS News, Major Steve Willis of the Charlotte Police said he was heartbroken hearing the testimony from the children.

Willis said:

“I would never want anyone to feel that way about me, personally, I don’t like that they feel that way about my profession.”

Watch the full video of Zianna’s testimony here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdO6IqCAnaE

Featured image from YouTube video.