#BlackLivesMatter. What started out as a hashtag, a simple phrase in the midst of high tensions in the black community, has now taken the country by storm. On the surface, Black Lives Matter is nothing more than three little words. But those three words have taken on so much weight in the past few years. As more and more people are beginning to wake up and see the turmoil that black people have been dealing with for as long as we can remember. This expression carries the burden of so much of our struggle, including the hundreds of black individuals that have died because someone out there believed that their lives did not matter.
Police brutality is unquestionably nothing new, but the Black Lives Matter movement is. And as with anything new, it needs some fixing up. So although this movement is a beautiful and empowering way to broadcast our united pain, there’s something missing from it. There’s a gaping hole in the movement. A hole that’s seldom talked about. A hole that holds an issue that so many people fail to realize and that others simply sweep under the rug.
For those who are familiar with the Black Lives Matter movement, you know the names and faces that lead it. Names like Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown, Eric Garner and Oscar Grant are the first ones to come to mind when speaking of police brutality, and rightfully so. All of the black lives taken at the hands of police officers deserve recognition. But even with this fact, there are so many black lives that aren’t being recognized. The lives of black women.
Back in 2015, Sandra Bland, a 28-year-old advocate of Black Lives Matter, was pulled over in her car for a traffic violation. She was arrested and three days later she was declared dead. Her death was ruled a suicide, but many holes and gaps in the story led many to believe that she was actually murdered. Her death became a discussion across multiple media platforms. Many people became enraged over her death.
For many, including myself, this was one of the first times that the wrongful death of a black woman had been publicized and broadcasted to this extent. But it is not the first time this has happened and it certainly wasn't the last. In 2016, a total of nine black women were shot and killed by police. While this may seem like a menial number, the lives of those nine women were still important and valuable. One of those women, Korryn Gaines, was shot and killed in her on home, where she and her 5-year-old son resided. As 2017 begins, a new president has taken office and racial tensions are high as ever, I'm worried to see how much higher this number will go up.
Whilst the death of black men has consistently been sweeping the internet and making the news, since the wrongful death of Trayvon Martin in 2012, the death of black women is usually swept under the rug. Names like Rekia Boyd, Natasha McKenna, Kimberlee Randle-King and Tanisha Anderson are often forgotten or never even heard at all. The truth of the matter is, the phrase Black Lives Matter has unknowingly taken on a connotation that depicts the lives of black men to be the only ones being taken and therefore, the only lives that matter. This is far from the truth.
Analyzation of the role of the black woman in the Black Lives Matter movement is something that is needed. Black women are often at the forefront of these movements and protests, shedding tears and expressing anger for fallen brothers but rarely get the same reaction back. Protests for the lives of black men that have been lost garner the most attention, often having outcomes of over 500 people. On the other hand, protests and rallies for black women have outcomes of a little over 300 people and many times, less. It’s an interesting phenomenon and it leaves many to wonder why this is.
This is not in any way, shape or form an attempt to diminish the importance of black men in the movement. This is not an attempt to drive attention away from the black men whose lives have been taken from us. This is not a competition. This is simply a means to call equal attention to the lives of black women. It's a way to pose the question of why we don’t get nearly as much attention as our male counterparts.
Why are black women not given as much attention? It’s a valid question. The struggle of black women is an issue itself. On the daily black women deal with subtle psychological abuse, the hyper-sexualization of their bodies, and the struggle of supporting and fighting for those whom we aren’t sure would do the same for us. Black women deal with more than we are given credit for. All we ask is that our struggle is highlighted in the same way so that we can begin to break down the system that causes it.
This is not anger. This is nothing more than a call for equality. All I ask is that while we try to break down the system that brings down black men, we try to do the same for black women. When you cry out for the death of your fathers and brothers, do the same for your sisters and mothers. When you attend rallies and protests for the lives of black men, do the same for the lives of black women.
When you bring up the topic of police brutality in conversation, as you talk about Oscar Grant and Mike Brown, make an effort to bring up Sandra Bland and Korryn Gaines as well. When you discuss #BlackLivesMatter, just be sure to #SayHerName.
