A Black Woman's Role in the Movement
Illustration by Octavia Anderson
In the wake of George Floyd’s death on May 25, 2020, Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests ensued across all 50 states, and in every continent except for Antarctica. Floyd's death highlighted the injustice that Black men face in America. His death reminded many of the unprovoked murders of Tamir Rice, Emmett Till, Trayvon Martin, and many more.
The start of the Black Lives Matter movement began in 2013 founded by three Black women. Until early June, 2020, most of the well known victims of police brutality were men. In June 2020 the BLM movement was revived and for the first time, a Black woman was at the front of the BLM narrative, Breonna Taylor.
Taylor's death has drawn unprecedented focus on disparities faced by Black women in relation to police brutality. In 2015, Sandra Bland's murder at the hands of police had been the only other case involving a Black female victim to grab the nations' attention. Breonna Taylor’s murder served as a catalyst for bringing attention to fellow female victims at the hands of police.
It took months for the world to learn about Breonna Taylor and other cases involving female victims, even amidst the global protests for George Floyd and Black Lives Matter.
On March 13, 2020, the same day President Trump declared a state of emergency for COVID-19, officers entered Taylor’s apartment in Louisville, Kentucky, through a “no-knock” search warrant while she and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, were asleep. With the combination of late hours and the lack of identification by police, Walker mistook the officers as intruders and grabbed his gun to fire shots. The officers returned fire, striking Taylor’s body five times in the process.
According to investigators, Taylor struggled to breathe for at least five minutes after she was shot. She received no medical attention and died on scene according to The Courier Journal.
Black women being left out is not a new phenomenon. Throughout history, Black women have always received the shorter end of the stick; from the suffrage movement, to reproductive rights, and even the fight for racial equality. Now the narrative is being repeated again into the 21st century, including the exclusion of women in BLM.
Breonna Taylor’s case suffered from trivializing attention in the same era that Floyd’s gained progressive traction. For months, Breonna Taylor’s name could not be uttered without the name of her counterpart, George Floyd. While Floyd was on the cover of Time Magazine and The New Yorker, Taylor’s image became a meme. Social media users jokingly paired "justice for Breonna Taylor" and a joke of their own.
Her case suffered from lack of punctuality; Breonna Taylor’s case was taken to trial 6 months after her death, Floyd’s took a fraction of that - about a month. George Floyd's murder drew outcry the minute his death was publicized due to video evidence circulating, while it took months for Taylors death to be brought to the public eye. The farthest respect attributed to Breonna's name was a viral hashtag and protest. Formal justice has yet to be met. You wouldn’t know Taylors name if you didn't know Floyd's.
Breonna Taylor’s life has been met with caricature on social media, and even amongst public figures who support the BLM movement. During a pregame show, NBA on TNT, former NBA player Charles Barkley spoke on Taylors case. “You know, we have to take into account that her boyfriend did shoot at the cops and shot a cop." said Barkley. "So, like I say, even though I’m really sorry she lost her life, I don’t think we can put this in the same situation as George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery; I just don’t believe that.”
Taylors life has been met with more ridicule than justice. And that's a narrative also experienced by other murdered Black women. This exclusion likely stems from tropes often attributed to Black women.
Society often sees Black women as strong and independent, removing the need to treat them with empathy because "they can handle it." Furthermore, the stereotype of 'angry' Black women diminishes their issues by minimizing their feelings and focusing on their exterior. Such stereotypes push the falsehood that Black women have less inherent value.
#SayHerName, a campaign started in 2014, has brought light to the countless voiceless Black women who have fallen victim to police brutality. Aiyana Stanley-Jones, Atatiana Jefferson, Natasha McKenna, India Kager, and Shantel Davis are a few of many who have been given the attention they deserve. But it is an undeniable fact that the #SayHerName campaign was only started out of the deadly silence that has kept black women's lives nameless and dismissed for centuries.
We live in a society where we are indoctrinated to become dehumanized to Black pain, especially Black female suffering. As stated by Malcom X in "Who Taught You To Hate Yourself", “the most disrespected woman 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." It is time that we advocate on behalf of all Black women's lives.
