BLACK. LIBERATED. AMPLIFIED. CULTURED. AND KEY.
“The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman, the most unprotected person in America is the Black woman, the most neglected person in America is the Black woman.” - Malcolm X, 1962
I’ll be unpacking a lot of information about the invisibility of black women in this article, so I advise you to get comfortable and grab a snack. Before beginning the article, please take a moment to listen to the song titled “Blk Girl Soldier” by Jamila Woods linked below. Listen closely to the lyrics and analyze the meaning. You can follow along here and read the meaning behind each stanza.
Police Brutality Against Black Women
Black women and our struggles have gone unnoticed for far too long. The invisibility of black women is alarming especially during times like this as we fight against police brutality. These last three months have taken an emotional toll on me and other black people across the globe after hearing about the untimely deaths of #AhmaudArbery and #GeorgeFloyd. It is heartbreaking to see that this continues to happen in 2020, and it makes me question the level of progress that has been made. There has been global outrage against the injustices of these two unarmed black men. People across the globe are protesting, looting, signing petitions, and educating others. I appreciate everyone who has not been silent.
However, there is one question I would like to ask: Have you heard of #BreonnaTaylor? Breonna was a 26 year old Black woman who was killed by Louisville police officers in her own home due to an illegal, unannounced drug raid. Not only were the police at the wrong home, but the suspect they were looking for had already been arrested earlier that day. Today, June 5th, 2020, would have been Breonna’s 27th birthday. Linked below is a video that explains the full details of her death and what occurred.
People are slowly becoming familiar with #BreonnaTaylor, but a couple of weeks ago, hardly anyone knew her name or her story. She was killed in March, yet she is just now receiving public attention two months later. Why is this? Kimberlé Crenshaw answers this question in one word: Intersectionality. In her TED Talk linked below she explains that when race and gender bias are combined it can create more harm, thus leading to the erasure of black women’s stories.
In the exercise Crenshaw does at the beginning of her video, you can see that when the names of the black men were announced, many more people were standing compared to when the names of black women were announced. As Crenshaw stated, she has done this exercise with many groups of people and the same result occurred. When I participated in the exercise, I didn’t recognize any of the black women’s names. This shows how our stories are so unheard of that even other black women like me don’t know about them.
Jamila Woods said it best: Aint nobody checkin for us. Aint nobody checkin for black women. There have been just as many police related deaths against black women as there have been against black men, but have you heard of them? No. No one recognizes the names of black women who have been killed by police. Can you name one black woman that has been a victim of police brutality? Most people know #SandraBland and that’s it. Others may know #AtatianaJefferson, but not even. The same outrage was not given to Breonna Taylor that was given to Ahmaud and George. She did not receive as much media coverage. Her killers are still out on the streets. Not enough people are saying her name which will lead to her story being erased, forgotten, and unheard.
#SayHerName, #SayTheirName
Explore the #SayHerName and #SayTheirName hashtags on social media to learn more of the names and stories of black women that are often forgotten.
Activism
Linked below are some resources to support Breonna Taylor.
Petitions to Sign for Justice for Breonna:
Change.org - http://chng.it/Rx2NJ6YBZS
Color of Change. org - https://act.colorofchange.org/sign/justiceforbre-breonna-taylor-officers-fired/?source=sms_06032020
Stand with Bre - https://www.standwithbre.com
Numbers to Call and Text/ Email addresses:
Mayor Greg Fischer (502) 574-2003 | greg.fischer@louisvilleky.gov
District Attorney Thomas Wine | winejcooke@louisvilleprosecutor.com
Attorney General Daniel Cameron | attorney.general@ag.ky.gov
Text ENOUGH to 55156
Pre-Written Email Template to Send to the Louisville Police Chief and District Attorney Demanding Justice for Breonna :
tinyurl.com/ycha6nuu
Other Action Items such as donation links and birthday cards for Breonna:
tinyurl.com/yd8m7pf6
There is also a petition to reopen the case of #SandraBland, who died in 2015:
Change.org - http://chng.it/qrgg7pTcKV
I feel like us black women forget about ourselves. Some of us didn’t even have the same outrage for Breonna, yet Black women are the main ones on the front lines protesting and fighting for the rights of our black men who don’t give the same outrage for us when we are disrespected and killed. I don’t want us to stop fighting for our black men, but I want us to fight for us too. Most importantly, I want the energy to be neutral between black men and women when it comes to advocating for each other. To really fight for Black lives in its entirety that includes fighting for black women, which includes trans black women and disabled black women too. If we as black women aren't fighting for ourselves then who will fight for us? Because after all of this is over, people will continue to forget about us and our stories. That’s why I am here to shed light on them.
Other Resources
To learn more about the stories of black women that have gone unheard, check out these Youtube channels:
Paris Milan: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCGvnaw9BIXLwula4mhz7Fg
Chrissie: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnO6_srTz1VwtxKN60Wyuhg
For Harriet: https://www.youtube.com/user/ForHarrietdotcom/videos
Leah Gordone: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSGtEHArn6rr214oJiweHxg
This is part one of four of The B.L.A.C.K. Series. Stay tuned for part two which will be about unrelated fictive kinship and how it induces trauma in the black community.