Over $2.9 million dollars have been donated to help cover Ralph Yarl's medical expenses.
Ralph Yarl, a Black 16-year-old high school junior, narrowly survived being shot twice on April 13 after going to the wrong Kansas City address to pick up his younger twin brothers. Yarl had simply rung the doorbell when, with no exchange of words, he was shot in the head by the homeowner Andrew D. Lester, an 84-year-old white man. Lester shot Yarl once more after he fell to the ground. Miraculously, Yarl was able to run away, but he would have to run to multiple homes before finally getting help from a neighbor.
Since the incident, people have rallied to demand justice for the teen, including raising over $2,900,000 on GoFundMe. On the fundraiser page, which was created by his aunt, Faith Spoonmore, Yarl is described as a “fantastic kid,” “ a kind soul,” “quiet,” “friendly,” “well-mannered,” “always willing to help,” “super smart,” and a “musical genius.” He was looking forward to visiting West Africa before attending college, where he planned to balance his love of music with pursuing a major in chemical engineering.“Life looks a lot different right now,” Spoonmore writes of her nephew. “Even though he is doing well physically, he has a long road ahead mentally and emotionally. The trauma that he has to endure and survive is unimaginable. He is our miracle. We have heard these types of stories many times, and unfortunately, most black boys are not alive to get another chance.”
Over $2.9 million dollars have been donated to help cover Ralph Yarl's medical expenses.
Faith Spoonmore/GoFundMe
Spoonmore posted a fundraising goal of $2.5 million to cover Yarl’s medical and therapy expenses. Within a day of the GoFundMe launch, donations began pouring in. Thus far, $2,905,680 has been raised, meeting the family’s goal and adding funds toward Yarl’s college expenses and long-awaited trip to West Africa.
Support for the young man has shown up in other ways as well. An illustrated retelling of Yarl’s story, created by cartoon activist Pan Cooke (aka @thefakepan), went viral online, prompting others to share and demand Lester’s arrest.
Meanwhile, actual protests mounted in Kansas City. As of Monday, April 17, Lester will face two felony charges—assault in the first degree and armed criminal action. Authorities issued a warrant for his arrest, and Lester turned himself in on April 18.
Spoonmore did give the hopeful update that Yarl is currently at home and able to move around and even communicate. She also wrote that he has been smiling at the kind words being sent to him through emails.
Though Yarl’s family has reached their initial goal, there is indeed still a long road ahead and every bit of support counts. As Spoonmore eloquently put it, “Ralph deserves to have the future that he has dreams about. He deserves to be the light that shows the world that LOVE wins and that humanity is still Good.”
If you are able to donate, you can find Yarl’s GoFundMe page here.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
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Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."