As police violence in America is currently being unveiled, I urge you not to forget about the women whose lives were also lost to police brutality.
Breonna Taylor, a technician wrongfully murdered by police, is just the tip of the iceberg. As we now are starting to protest police and their unnecessary ruthlessness towards black Americans, we should also address their violence towards women, black women in particular.
Black women, you are not only the biggest targets when it comes to law enforcement but are exposed to every type of law enforcement violence there is out there. And for that, I am deeply sorry. I hurt for you but I also stand for you. Violence against women, black women, in particular, needs to be addressed and we can only do that through the movements and progress we have made.
The #BlackLivesMatter movement was able to cause an uprising throughout the nation in order to bring attention to the unlawful police killings of black people.
While this can be seen as a breakthrough for unjust killings, most of the attention focuses on the issue of the police killings of black men, leaving many women’s stories hidden.
This is a problem in and of itself, as the deaths and another mistreatment of black women at the hands of the police do not receive the level of attention that the killings of black men receive.
While the #SayHerName project is trying to bring these women’s stories forward, it is not enough. These women need to get the justice and peace they did not get on this earth. We need to acknowledge the physical violence and especially the sexual violence that black women also experience at the hands of police.
According to the Civil Rights and Discrimination Commons, “the level of sexual violence that black women face is high.”
Police rape is already such a complex situation on its own.
We need to address the system that oppresses the black woman. The judicial process is already set up for a woman to most likely never get justice for their sexual assault (but we don’t have time to address all of that), so imagine what it’s like for women of color to go through a process by a system that already looks down on them and puts the police on a pedestal.
As the protests and petitions keep pushing for justice for black people, I urge you to think about the black women who have endured racism, police brutality and sexual violence. Breonna Taylor is just the beginning of what could end this injustice.
Sign petitions regarding police brutality:
https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co
