After Cops Called On 9-Year-Old Black Girl From Caldwell, Yale Honors Her, Mom Looks Ahead

CALDWELL, NJ — When police were called on a 9-year-old Black girl from Caldwell last October while she was out spraying spotted lanternflies, her mom said the community needed to have a discussion about racial bias.

Months later, the girl, Bobbi Wilson, has been honored for her dedication to science, and her mom said she's "happy" that a negative incident has resulted in several positive experiences.

In fact, last month, Yale University honored Bobbi for raising awareness about the invasive bugs, and entered her lanternfly collection in one of its museums.

On Jan. 20, Bobbi was invited to come to the New Haven, Conn. campus.

The 9-year-old, who's known as "Bobbi Wonder" among family and friends, visited the Yale School of Public Health to donate her lanternfly collection to Yale’s Peabody Museum. The collection is now in the museum database.

Teachable Moments

"I feel blessed," said Bobbi's mom, Monique Joseph, in an interview Wednesday. "I feel like Bobbi's definitely okay and we're okay now emotionally, and not as scared. That's where we were."

The lanternfly incident began on a Saturday morning in October when a neighbor in the quiet North Jersey community called 911 upon seeing Bobbi down the street, spraying trees.

"I don't know what the hell she's doing," said the neighbor, who later said he didn't recognize Bobbi at the time.

The responding police officer saw what was going on, had an amiable chat with Bobbi about lanternflies, told the neighbor what was happening, and left.

But after Monique Joseph spoke out at a Borough Council meeting, the incident made national news.

Officials and scientists reached out to Bobbi with encouragement. She continued researching the invasive bug, which has been the subject of a massive campaign by the Department of Agriculture. (In fact, on Wednesday, New Jersey declared every county in the state a "quarantine zone" for the creatures, asking people to be careful about transporting objects containing their egg masses. The bugs destroy 70 types of plants and fruit.)

"I didn't want what that day was, to be the only memory that Bobbi had of that day," said Joseph on Wednesday. "I wanted to turn it around. I am happy that it is where it is now."

Role Models

Bobbi and her older sister, Hayden, 13, who also spoke at the council meeting last year, have now visited Yale twice to meet successful Black female scientists.

Yale School of Public Health Assistant Professor Ijeoma Opara invited the family there. Opara said of Bobbi's visit last month, "We wanted to show her bravery and how inspiring she is, and we just want to make sure she continues to feel honored and loved by the Yale community.”

Bobbi's mom said that other scientists have said Bobbi reminds them of themselves when they were young.

She also said that she wants to move beyond the incident in fall. At one point, there was police surveillance in the neighborhood where she and her neighbor live, as a result of the media attention. She said it's time to get past the negative.

"I'm like any other parent," she said. "When people are supporting your children and doing things to uplift them, it's worth mentioning. It was what it was, and now it is what it is. Scientists have been talking about Bobbi and saying, 'That was me when I was her age.' I'm appreciative, I'm happy."

At the Yale event, Peabody Museum Entomology Collections Manager Lawrence Gall and Assistant Director of Student Programs Nicole Palffy-Muhoray showed Bobbi her newly cataloged collection, now expertly mounted by museum staff.

Palffy-Muhoray said Bobbi is a good role model for other students.

The museum staff said they're proud to support students interested in STEM fields – Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.

At the event, Joseph said, “The reason that Bobbi is here, and we are not grieving, is because someone above wanted us to be a part of changing racism in our town…It is because we have Bobbi that we are able to stand here and do something about it, to speak up for ourselves.”

She added, “I don’t just speak up for Bobbi. I don’t just speak up for my daughters. I speak up for children. I speak up for anyone that checks that 'other' box, that has racism against them, biases against them.”

Monique Joseph will be part of a forum next week on recent bias incidents across New Jersey. READ MORE: Mom In Caldwell Lanternfly Incident To Address NJ Bias Crimes At Statewide Forum