#SayHerName was created to bring attention to the list of black women who had fallen victim to police brutality. It wasn’t meant to derail thoughts away from the black men who are also being killed but to make sure that no one was forgetting the names of black women. The hashtag has brought attention to the deaths of Rekia Boyd, Tanisha Anderson, and many more. In 2015 alone, one hundred black women were killed while unarmed but the public heard the names of about ten. It’s common for people to believe that black women aren’t on police radar, that they aren’t shot for being black women– if you believe this you’re wrong.
Black men have a higher chance of being gunned down but black women are still being targeted. Sandra Bland’s death showed that educated or not, being a black woman in itself is enough for them to end your life. That’s why #SayHerName is needed and why it’s important that people don’t replace the ‘Her’ with ‘Him’. The names of hundreds of black men gunned down are known– their stories, their families, and their children are all common things for people to have access to but when it comes to black women most can barely give an accurate account of how they died. It’s a sad truth but by saying HER name, that problem was slowly being eliminated.
The #BlackLivesMatter movement, in all its glory, often finds itself overrun with recognizing the names of black men. There are a lot of deaths and they sometimes happen back to back to it is to be expected that black women are being overshadowed, even in death. However, they exist and their deaths are just as sad and just as impactful. Sandra Bland was an activist. Tanisa Anderson was a mother. Yvette Smith had a twin sister. Miriam Corey had a one year old daughter. Rekia Boyd was only twenty-two. Alesia Thomas’ trial is still pending. Shereese Francis was schizophrenic. These are just some of the stories from a short list of black women. These women exist and it is important that their lives are not forgotten, as well as their deaths.
The police brutality problem has been labeled as an issue only pertaining to black men. It isn’t. Men, women, children– any black person is at risk. This is not a one-sided movement so don’t make it one. The black male in America narrative is a true one, a dangerous one, but it’s not not the only one for people to examine. Being a black woman in this country is just as dangerous, just as hard. Black women are fighting for their lives alone and when they fall, their stories go unnoticed. If you offer your support to black men, be prepared to extend it to black women as well. This threat of violence exists for everyone in the community; so don’t turn a blind eye. Say HER Name.
If you would like to know the names and stories of these black women and the others whose stories go unnoticed, here are some resources for you to look at:
15 Black Women Killed By Police
Black Women We Don’t Hear About
