Bobbi Wilson holds her firefly collection as she is honored at the Yale School of Public Health on January 20.
Andrew Hurley/Yale University
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Andrew Hurley/Yale University
Bobbi Wilson holds her firefly collection as she is honored at the Yale School of Public Health on January 20.
Andrew Hurley/Yale University
Nine-year-old Bobbi Wilson may be in fourth grade, but last month the Yale School of Public Health held a ceremony honoring the budding scientist’s recent work.
The university entered Bobbi’s collection of 27 fireflies – an extremely invasive species harmful to trees and other plants – into the Peabody Museum of Natural History database. Bobbi was also awarded the title of “sponsor scientist” during the January 20 ceremony.
“We wanted to showcase her courage and how inspirational she is, and we just wanted to make sure she continued to feel honored and loved by the Yale community,” said Ijeoma Opara. , assistant professor at the school, said in a statement. declare.
The awards come just three months after Bobbi, who is black, made headlines when former Caldwell city council member Gordon Lawshe, who is white, called local police on the girl.
She is collecting firefly specimens. Her neighbor became scared and called the police
On October 22, Lawshe went home, and things in the predominantly white neighborhood seemed unstable. But looking at the tree-lined road, Lawshe saw something scary. Realizing that it wasn’t an emergency in itself, he called the police department dispatcher instead.
Lawshe told the dispatcher: “There was a little black woman walking, strewn across the sidewalks and trees in Elizabeth and Florence. call obtained by CNN.
“I don’t know what the hell she’s doing. However, I’m scared,” Lawshe added.
Outside, Bobbi, a petite kid wearing pink-rimmed glasses, is trying to comply with state regulations. Throw it out! The campaign calls on New Jersey residents to help eradicate the spotted lightfly infestation. She learned about it in school and created her own version of the repellent that she saw on TikTok. Going from tree to tree, Bobbi would spray bugs, pluck them from trees, and drop them into plastic bottles.
Bobbi was still there when an officer arrived, curious about what she was doing. Body camera footage shows officer Kevin O’Neill approaching the child before her mother, Monique Joseph, intervened.
“I have a problem?” asked the little girl.
“No,” Joseph and O’Neill answered simultaneously.
Joseph added, “How many trees did you save?”
O’Neill explained that he was answering Lawshe’s call. The information seemed to baffle Joseph, who was speak that she had lived opposite the 71-year-old man for eight years and that they had a friendly relationship.
Bobbi’s mom and sister speak out about racism
Unable to shake the gnawing feeling that things could easily escalate and end in tragedy, as in other cases involving Black children and law enforcement, Joseph decided to tackle the problem. face-to-face issue at the Caldwell city council meeting a few weeks later. During the meeting, Joseph and her 13-year-old daughter, Hayden Wilson, called the episode an example of racism.
“She’s not just doing something great for our environment — she’s doing something that makes her feel like a hero,” Hayden said in a speech to the city council.
“What Mr. Gordon Lawshe did to my sister was extremely insulting, hurtful and scaring to my family. I can confidently assure you that she will never forget this. “, She added.
Scientists and scholars gather around Bobbi
Support for Bobbi and her love of science hasn’t stopped growing since the police shut down internet access. She received the Caldwell Environmental Commission’s Sustainability Award for her contributions to improving the town’s environment. At least one science writer has given Bobbi a collection of books and stickers to encourage her passion for learning. And there’s recognition from Yale.
“Yale doesn’t usually do anything like this. … This is unique to Bobbi,” said Opara, a Yale professor. She helped organize the ceremony recently and had previously invited Bobbi and her sister to the campus to meet “other successful black female scientists and to combat the horrifying memories of the day.” that day.”
Shortly after her encounter with police, Joseph told CNN her 9-year-old was not like that. But at the ceremony, she expressed gratitude to the community that has gathered around the whole family.
“You know, you hear about racism; you’ll experience it on your periphery if you’re lucky in your life. It didn’t knock on your door. That morning when it happened, so what? My world stopped,” said Bobbi’s mother. , according to university.
She added: “The whole community, the scientific community, came together to say, ‘She’s one of us and we’re not going to let her lose interest in STEM. We’re going to support the family. We will support this girl.”
