IT NEVER GAVE ‘FAST-TAIL GIRL’
(Trigger Warning: This post discusses themes of sexual violence, abuse, and the alledged murder of a young Black girl. Please proceed with care.)
Na’Ziyah Harris.
A name you might not recognize, but one that carries the weight of a story we all need to hear. Her life reminds us of the ways Black girls are consistently failed by their communities, families, and the institutions meant to protect them. It also calls us—especially faith leaders—to do better in how we see, love, and disciple Black girls.
Na'Ziyah Harris was a 13-year-old girl from Detroit,MI who went missing on January 9, 2024, after getting off her school bus. Authorities allege that 42-year-old Jarvis Butts (the boyfriend of her aunt) had been sexually abusing her, which led to her becoming pregnant. Evidence suggests that Butts researched abortions and toxic substances before her disappearance. Despite extensive searches, her body has not been found, but articles of clothing that show signs of harm and struggle have been located with her DNA and the DNA of her alledged murderer. Authorities have charged Butts with first-degree premeditated murder, second-degree criminal sexual conduct, and child sexually abusive activity.
At the center of Na’Ziyah’s story is a harmful stereotype that’s been weaponized against Black girls for generations: the “fast-tail girl.”
This trope, rooted in racism and misogyny, dismisses Black girls’ innocence and subjects them to unjust scrutiny. It’s a label that strips away their humanity, labels them as overly sexual, and ultimately denies them the care and protection they deserve.
The Weight of Adultification
What happened to Na’Ziyah is part of a larger issue: the adultification bias that Black girls face every day.
Adultification bias is when Black girls are perceived as older, more sexual, and less in need of protection than their peers of other races. This perception isn’t just cultural—it’s systemic. It shows up in schools, where Black girls are disciplined more harshly. It shows up in families, where their pain and needs are often dismissed. And tragically, it shows up in faith communities, where judgment too often replaces care.
In recent news, Na’Ziyah has been labeled a “fast-tail girl” by a global digital community. This trope kills—spiritually, emotionally, and, in too many cases, literally. It kills self-worth. It kills dreams. And it robs Black girls of their childhoods.
The Role of Grooming in Adultification
Na’Ziyah’s tragic story highlights the role that grooming plays in the adultification and exploitation of Black girls.
Grooming is the deliberate process by which an abuser builds trust with someone, often by exploiting their emotional needs or insecurities, to manipulate, isolate, and control them. Groomers position themselves as caring or attentive figures, which can make it difficult for victims to recognize the danger they are in.
For Black girls, grooming is often coupled with adultification bias. Abusers take advantage of harmful stereotypes that frame Black girls as more mature or more sexual than they actually are. Society’s willingness to see Black girls as “knowing better” or “acting grown” allows predators to go unchecked. In Na’Ziyah’s case, her abuser groomed her while systemic biases allowed him to escape scrutiny.
This creates a vicious cycle where Black girls are denied their innocence, treated as complicit in their victimization, and left vulnerable to further harm.
Annihilating the “Fast-Tail Girl” Trope
Na’Ziyah’s story demands that we take a hard look at the ways we treat and talk about Black girls. As faith leaders, mentors, and community members, we have a responsibility to annihilate the harmful “fast-tail girl” trope and replace it with language and actions that affirm the worth and dignity of Black girls.
Here are a few ways we can respond:
Creating Safe Spaces
Black girls need spaces where they feel seen, heard, and valued. Churches, community organizations and ministries should be sanctuaries where they can lay down the burdens the world forces them to carry. On the day she went missing, Na’Ziyah made an outcry to meet with a school counselor. For reasons unknown, (possibly busy schedule or competing priorities)- the counselor did not show up to meet with her.Advocating Beyond the Church
Discipling Black girls means addressing the systems that harm them. It means advocating for changes in schools, holding families accountable in restorative ways, and challenging cultural norms that perpetuate harm.Listening and Believing
Too often, Black girls are ignored or dismissed when they speak about their pain and struggles. Let’s commit to listening to them and believing their stories without judgment.See Black Girls as Children
Black girls are not “grown” or “too mature.” They are children deserving of care, guidance, and protection.Address Grooming Practices
Educate communities on what grooming looks like and how to recognize it. Churches, schools, and families must be trained to identify signs of predatory behavior and take swift action to protect children.Challenge Harmful Systems
Advocacy is discipleship. Addressing systemic failures and advocating for reforms in schools, child welfare, and the legal system are ways to protect Black girls.Affirm Their Worth in Christ
Black girls need to hear that they are fearfully and wonderfully made, deeply loved by God, and worthy of respect and care.
Discipling Black Girls Well
To disciple Black girls is to see them as God sees them: as masterpieces. It’s to teach them their worth in a world determined to deny it. It’s to fight for their right to exist as children—not adults prematurely burdened with responsibilities or harmful tropes they never asked for.
Na’Ziyah Harris’s story should break our hearts. It should shake us to our core. But it should also move us to action.
Her life demands that we:
Protect Black girls’ innocence and humanity.
Advocate fiercely for systemic and cultural change.
Equip Black girls to resist the lies society tells them about their worth.
It never gave “fast tail girl.” It gave child of God.
Na’Ziyah deserved better. All Black girls deserve better. Let her story remind us that our discipleship must be bold, transformative, and deeply rooted in love and intentionality for Black girls.
Wanna Read More about Black Girlhood and the impacts of adultification bias? Check out the resources below:
Crenshaw, K., Ocean, P. and Nanda, J. (2015). Black girls matter: Pushed out, overpoliced, and underprotected. New York, NY: African American Policy Forum and Center for Intersectionality and Social Policy Studies. Retrieved from https://aapf.org/blackgirlsmatter
Epstein, R., Blake, J.J., and Gonzalez, T. (2017). Girlhood interrupted: The Erasure of Black girls’ childhood. Washington, DC: Center on Poverty and Inequality at Georgetown Law. Retrieved from https://www.law.georgetown.edu/poverty-inequality-center/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2017/08/girlhood-interrupted.pdf
Blake, J.J. and Epstein, R. Listening to Black women and girls: lived experiences of adultification bias. Washington, DC: Center on Poverty and Inequality at Georgetown Law. Retrieved from https://endadultificationbias.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Listening-to-Black-Women-and-Girls-v7.pdf
Turner, C. (2016). Bias isn’t just a police problem, it’s a preschool problem. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/09/28/495488716/bias-isnt-just-a-police-problem-its-a-preschool-problem
