Rekia Boyd. Miriam Carey. Islan Nettles. Sandra Bland. Aiyana Stanley-Jones.Tanisha Anderson.  Renisha McBride. Sakia Gunn. Shelly Frey.

As Black women, girls, and femmes continue to be targeted for violence and systematically erased in the United States, BYP 100 and several other organizations serving communities of color have come together to call for a National Day of Action to End State Violence Against Black Women, Girls, and Femmes.

The organizers explain,

“We live in a world where the dignity of Black people is denied through every interaction with the state. It is apparent that the lives of ALL Black people are under attack, however, the stories, experiences, and needs of Black women, girls, and femmes are left out all too often. And it is imperative thatwe work intentionally to bring them to the center.

We must acknowledge the particular forms of violence experienced by our women, girls, and femmes. We must fight against the criminalization of Black victims of sexual violence, intimate partner violence, and abuse. We must resist the policing of Black gender expression, sexuality, and bodies. We must condemn the passage and defense of gender discriminatory legislation. We must break down the narrow standards of respectable Black womanhood and femininity deemed acceptable. We must #SayHerName.”

Take a moment today to answer this call. Remember these women, girls, and femmes for whom injustice characterized their final moments in this life.

Say her name.

Author

  • Jenn M. Jackson was born and raised in East Oakland, California, a fact which motivates her writing and academic ambitions. She is a scholar, educator, and writer whose writing addresses Black Politics and civil and public life for young Black people with a focus on policing and surveillance. She is also the Editor-in-Chief of Water Cooler Convos, a culture platform for Black millennials. Her writing has been featured in Washington Post, BITCH Magazine, Marie Claire, EBONY, The Root, Daily Dot, The Independent, and many others. Jackson is a doctoral candidate at the University of Chicago studying American Politics with a focus on political participation and engagement, public opinion and social movements. For more about her, tweet her at @JennMJack or visit her website at jennmjackson.com.