Day 3 - Breonna Taylor

On March 13, 2020, I texted my niece "Happy Birthday" and congratulated her on her recent acceptance into veterinarian school. I told her how proud I was of her. 

On March 13, 2020, Breonna Taylor coughed and struggled to breathe - a refrain that has become the pulsing dirge in the Movement for Black lives - after Jonathon Mattingly, Brett Hankison, and Myles Cosgrove, officers with the Louisville Police Department executed a no-knock.

In Black life, the narrative in a day's events can quickly turn from a congratulatory joy to morbid sorrow. The sanctuary of home is not even safe for a Black life, and it wasn't that evening for Breonna.

Dispatch logs suggest that Breonna received no medical attention for more than 20 minutes after being struck by a hail of bullets. 

Breonna coughed and struggled to breathe. 

Breonna coughed and struggled to breathe. 

Breonna coughed and struggled to breathe. 

Breathing has become the main theme in narratives and movement for Black lives. 

Can we just  ... breathe???

Today Jonathon Mattingly, Brett Hankison, and Myles Cosgrove are still free.

Breonna Shaquille Taylor is dead.

... so on today, The Fannie Lou Hamer Institute of Advocacy & Social Action holds space to lift up the memory of Breonna Taylor, the 26-year-old emergency room technician who was murdered by Jonathon Mattingly, Brett Hankison, and Myles Cosgrove.

Today, set aside space for 20 minutes to remember and honor Breonna Taylor and the Black women who have died by the hands of police sanctioned murder. 

Don't know their names? 

Please understand that the above list is not updated. 

Last week, I completed Kimberle' Crenshaw's "Critical Race Theory & Intersectionality: Key Concepts to Sustain the Fight Against Anti-Black Racism" Summer School. She sadly informed the class that the African-American Policy Forum (AAPF) is currently working on an updated version of #SayHerName. 

We must remember Breonna Taylor ... in our discussions and movements. When we remember Breonna, we also remember Elenor Bumpus, bookends in these tragic stories.

#AlwaysInStruggle #SayHerName #BreonnaTaylor #RevolutionaryBlackWomen #31daysofRevolutionaryBlackWomen #Revolutionary