The Power of Breonna: Uplifting Her Voice/ Fighting for Justice
The year 2020 brought with it uncertainty, reflection, but above all else action. The death of Breonna Taylor, a medical responder in Louisville, KY that was murdered by the Louisville police in her home in March 2020, stirred up not only the need for justice but an unwavering demand that we lift her voice. Years prior to her death, we also witness the death of Sandra Bland, whose injustice spoke volume to two social issues in the U.S., (1) the racial disease that permeates throughout this country and (2) the patriarchal system that defines this country (and many parts of the world). Their deaths resonated around the U.S. because on top of another brown skin individual dying at the hands of local law enforcement, these were women dying and no one was speaking up for their justice with the same level of intensity as they have for the killings of brown skin boys and men.
Women and girls in general, are often viewed and treated as secondary around the world. And in regards to the U.S., it is very well-known that the darker your skin the less society cares about your pain, let alone fight for your justice. The fight for Breonna was and continues to be an important moment in history for two reasons. The first reason is because of some of the people leading this fight such as Tamika Palmer (Breonna Taylor’s mother), Tamika Mallory (activist), and Linda Sarsour (activist and author) to name a few. All women of color, all fighting to lift her voice during a global health pandemic when the whole world stopped. Their acts of passion, consistency, and perseverance for society to stop treating the death of brown boys and girls as just the daily routine in the U.S., is a beautiful reminder that as a community it is imperative that we work together to protect each other. The second reason is that the pain and mistreatment of a brown skin girl, born and raised in the U.S., was finally receiving the recognition it deserved with news outlets constantly discussing her death and her injustice. With the people leading the fight not giving up on justice for Breonna, society did not give up on Breonna. As we celebrate Women’s History Month as well as mourn the one-year passing of Breonna Taylor, it is important to acknowledge how her injustice sparked a fire to continue to lift her voice, with her being every brown skin girl and woman.