By now, we hope you all know that we are at a time where the black community is hurting. And before you ask what this has to do with our community, we hope you remember that this impacts the queer community, as many queer and trans people of color are feeling nothing short of terrified. So we're doing what it takes to make sure we all stay up-to-date on #BlackLivesMatter and the numerous protesters who are putting their futures on the line to make a better future for us all.
One photo in particular from the recent Black Lives Matter protests and responses to police brutality in Baton Rouge, Louisiana has become symbolic of the tension between cops and law enforcement and black people in the U.S.
Many commenting on the photo note the woman’s calm, her poise, her grace. It’s hard to see a photo of a feminine person standing up to a bunch of armed members of law enforcement and not respond, immediately, to the symbolism of it all.
One commenter in particular summed up the reactions of many to the photo.
But, as some on Twitter are trying to remind us, that woman is not just a symbol. She has a name, Leisha Evans. She is a person, not just a figure.
It leaves me asking: you will share her photo, but would you show up for her?
While it’s obviously important to have symbols and figures to inspire us during tragic times like these, I encourage us all to remember that it’s not just black men who are harmed and killed as the result of police brutality. While the numbers are definitely skewed in that direction, many black women, and many black trans women have also been murdered by law enforcement.
What does it mean that we don’t say their names?
The #SayHerName movement was started to encourage those concerned by increasing numbers of police brutality in the U.S. to speak out for women, too. According to the website, #SayHerName “has come to represent the burgeoning movement to uplift the stories of Black women killed by the police.”
This argument is summed up well in just a few tweets.
It’s dangerous to co-opt a movement specific to women and make it all about men all over again. While it’s 100% obvious that black men are killed by law enforcement in awful numbers, it’s also clear that misogyny and, in the case of queer and trans women, transphobia and homophobia, play a role when it comes to who we fight for.
If we’re going to keep letting black women be our symbols of justice, of resistance, and of strength, we need to be ready and willing to #SayHerName when it becomes her who needs justice.
