A new report shows that at least 50 Black women have died at the hands of law enforcement since 2015. Not one of the officers involved has been convicted.
“Violence towards Black girls and women has always received far too little coverage, leaving hte loved ones of countless victims of state-sanctioned murder without justice,” Arisha Hatch, vice president and chief of campaigns at Color of Change, told Insider.
The outlet compiled data from police reports and news stories to create a database of police-involved killings of Black women since 2015. The number of victims compiled in the report is 50, though the true number could be higher. Researchers at the University of Michigan documented the erasure and exclusion of Black women from social justice movements, which they attribute to the intersectional lived experiences Black women have.
“Black women are often overlooked in people’s conversations about racism and sexism even though they face a unique combination of both these forms of discrimination simultaneously,” lead researcher Stewart Coles said. “This ‘intersectional invisibility’ means that movements that are supposed to help Black women may be contributing to their marginalization.”
Photos of victims of police violence are placed at a vigil in NYC in 2020 marking the 5-year anniversary of the death of Sandra Bland.
The #SayHerName campaign was founded in 2014 to raise awareness around Black women, girls, and femmes who are killed by police. The movement has galvanized attention and support around victims whose stories are not as well known.
We honor victims here, saying their names. To those whose deaths we do not know about, may they also be remembered.
A family member holds a butterfly that was released during the funeral service for Ma'Khia Bryant, 16, who was shot and killed by a police officer in Columbus, Ohio on April 20, 2021.
Nina Adams
LaShanda Anderson
Deresha Armstrong
Kisha Arrone
Crystalline Barnes
India Beaty
Dereshia Blackwell
Sandra Bland
Jonie Block
Ma’Khia Bryant
Alexia Christian
Decynthia Clements
Deborah Danner
Angel Viola DeCarlo
Monique Jenee Deckard
Cynthia Fields
Janisha Fonville
Korryn Gaines
Francine Graham
Sandy Guardiola
Mya Hall
Yuvette Henderson
Kiwi Herring
Cariann Hithon
Meagan Hockaday
Nika Holbert
Atatiana Jefferson
Redel Jones
Bettie Jones
Helen Jones
India Kager
Charleena Lyles
Marquesha mcMillan
Kisha Michael
India Nelson
Jessica Nelson-Williams
Lajuana Phillips
Crystal Danielle Ragland
Morgan London Rankins
Sahlah Ridgeway
Shukri Ali Said
Michelle Lee Shirley
Tameka LaShay Simpson
Laronda Sweatt
Breonna Taylor
Geraldine Townsend
Pamela Shantay Turner
Latasha Nicole Walton
April Webster
Robin White
Janet Wilson
Alteria Woods
To learn more about these women's stories, click here.
Reading about Black trauma can have an impact on your mental health. If you or someone you know need immediate mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor. These additional resources are also available:
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255
The National Alliance on Mental Illness 1-800-950-6264
The Association of Black Psychologists 1-301-449-3082
The Anxiety and Depression Association of America 1-240-485-1001
For more mental health resources, click HERE.
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