Photo goes viral of young Black kids praying before the first day of school

A photo showing three young children, two boys and one girl, praying before school, has recently gone viral and touched an entire community of parents.

On Monday, Baton Rouge, La., mom, Jamisha Harris, took to her Facebook page to share the photo of her children Eugene, Jorden, and Emily Jacobs, ages 10, 8 and 7, respectively, holding hands and praying prior to getting on a school bus earlier this week. Harris noted in the caption that she was feeling anxious for her children’s first day back to school.

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“Dear God,” Harris opened in her own prayer. “This morning I’m feeling nervous and a little unsure but thankful, I pray for my children on their first day of school. God, I give them to You. And I ask that this school year you would use every person and every experience and every lesson to shape them into Your image, to grow in them, the fruit of Your Spirit,” the mother wrote, following up with a prayer hand emoji.

After being reposted on Louisiana local news station WAFB’s own Facebook page, the photo amassed attention from fellow parents and supporters alike, who expressed their joy from seeing the positive image.

Harris told Yahoo! Lifestyle that she and her husband pray with their children daily, however, they feel it is even more important to pray before they start their school day.

“All day every day I think about my children and that I’m not at school with them to protect them if any tragedies [were] to happen,” she said. “Because of the recent tragedies that’s been happening all over the world it’s no peace in being a mother because I’m always worried about shooters, bullying, sexual assault … anything that can harm my children.”

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Harris says that although prayer provides a form of peace, and that she is constantly teaching the importance of listening to teachers and following rules, she is still left somewhat anxious when they are not in her sight.

“With all these tragedies happening the only thing I can do is raise them right and educate them on life and to always pray together,” Harris says.

As for the inspiration and courage she has provided to other parents through her photo, the praying mother says, “I hope it just brings peace to the parents and student on their first day of school. They may have [taken] praying out of school but not out of God’s children.”