When A Murder Isn't Trendy Anymore
I cannot believe I just typed that. I am speechless. I am angry. I am heartbroken that the murder of an innocent woman is no longer in the forefront of our minds.
On March 13th, 2020, Breonna Taylor, a 26 y/o EMT, and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, were asleep in their apartment when the police used a battering ram to break down the front door. The police were fulfilling a search warrant concerning suspicious drug activity in the apartment. There were no drugs in the apartment, and the two men the police were investigating had no association to Taylor or Walker. Startled & not made aware that the police were the ones breaking in, Walker fired towards the officers which resulted in the officers firing back excessively.
Breonna Taylor was shot eight times for sleeping peacefully in her house. Why don’t we care anymore?
Black women are the most discriminated group in America. There are hundreds of years of intergenerational trauma that black women have to cope with every day while still facing microaggressions attacking their status, physical appearance, and confidence. Black women face the biggest pay gap, making on average 75 cents for every dollar a white man makes. Even more, black trans women are the most targeted group in the nation.
Despite all this, black women have created the most revolutionary social movements of the twenty-first century. They are the forces behind #BlackLivesMatter, #MeToo, #BringBackOurGirls, and #SayHerName. They have built communities, promoted voices often shut out by society, and actively lobbied for legislation to support equal rights and social justice. Today, we rely on black women to share their insights and thoughts on racial injustice and help guide us in our advocacy and allyship.
Why do people only pay attention to black women when they are seen as strong?
Being a black woman shouldn’t mean that you have to successfully fight the biases, systems, and ideologies that oppress you in order to gain recognition. Being a black woman shouldn’t imply that you have to share your experience and the experiences of others in order to engage people in learning and growth. Being a black woman shouldn’t force a higher standard of human strength.
The fight for the equality of women can no longer ignore the heightened discrimination black women face anymore. I will never understand what it means to be a black woman, but I know I cannot call myself a feminist without actively fighting for all black women.
On June 11th, 2020, Metro Council passed Breonna’s Law, banning no-knock warrants. Her legacy will live on in this law, but it is not enough. Breonna Taylor’s murderers still walk free. All but one of Breonna Taylor’s murderers still have their jobs in law enforcement. We have to continue to fight for justice for Breonna in order to set the standard of fair treatment of black women.
Every morning. I call Attorney General Daniel Cameron at (502) 696-5300 and Police Chief Robert Schroeder at (502) 574-7660 to remind them to fire and arrest Breonna’s murderers and bring about the justice she deserves. It takes maybe five minutes to remind these men that black women are human beings just like them and have to be treated as such.
I urge you to raise your voice for black women. They are the reason we are here today.