Say His Name
George Floyd.
A daughter without a father. A partner who will never get her fiance back. A family who will never see their son at a holiday dinner.
Gone.
Today, Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all three charges brought forth: manslaughter, second-degree murder, and third-degree murder. His sentence awaits him.
And so does the path that lays before all of us.
It could be that these guilty charges act as a sigh of relief. But in no way does this verdict equal justice. Many of us held our breaths, bracing ourselves for another outcome— because we know video evidence doesn’t always mean accountability for the murder of innocent Black people.
Many of us remember Rodney King.
We are nowhere near justice. This is one guilty verdict out of hundreds of acquittals.
There is no justice in a system that created the environment for George Floyd’s death in the first place.
We know that the same judicial system that found Chauvin guilty, is the same one that turns around and puts thousands of Black and Brown people behind bars for a whole lot less.
Our current systems of policing, patrolling, detaining, and isolating must end. Our appetite for Black blood and pain must cease. Justice, my friend, is life. It is living a life where your name does not end up becoming a hashtag, or your face becoming the next t-shirt design.
May you rest George Floyd, knowing that the world is turning itself inside and out in your name. You were never meant to be sacrificed. You did not choose to be a martyr.
May you rest Breonna Taylor, knowing that we are mobilizing towards a safer future. If only you could be alive to see it.
Today we rest, we mourn, we get out in the streets and find what semblances of joy we can.
But tomorrow and every day after we rebuild.
They say the wheel of justice is slow, but here’s to hoping we can speed that process up before we have to lose another innocent soul.
Bless you all,
E
Editing Update on Saturday, April 24th, 2021.
Like the rest of the world, I am deeply saddened to learn about the death of Ma’Khia Bryant. A beautiful 16-year-old girl, in foster care, whose life was taken from her because she was wielding a knife. I am also saddened by people who find it easier to justify such a killing, simply because they cannot imagine a world in which pulling out a gun is the only option. How sad must it be to believe that nothing else could have been done?
Black women/femmes and Black girls, I see you, I feel your pain. I am so incredibly sorry. I don’t have any other words to offer.
Statement from Black Girls Smile
hey, girl. (podcast)
The Special Report: Black Girls & Women & Police Brutality (Community Resource Hub)
Black Women and Police Violence: A Primer (UIC)
cover photo from unsplash