Malcolm X said it the best, “The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman.” It has been no question that Black women and girls are the ones that are most judged in society — whether through looks and personality. Before the deaths of Black women and girls were publicized on social media, there were two deaths that happened in two different decades. The first, the death of an older woman from New York named Eleanor Bumpurs in 1984, and the second, the death of a teenage girl from Los Angeles, California named Latasha Harlins in 1991.
The incidence of deaths of Black women and girls is much higher than the deaths of non-Black women and girls. But, compared to twenty years ago, the conversation about the deaths of Black women and girls seems to be changing in today’s society.
Recently, a Clark Atlanta University student named Alexis Crawford went missing on October 30th. Her death was not just brushed under the rug. Days later, police found her body at a park. She was killed by her roommate’s boyfriend just days after filing a restraining order against him for sexual assault.
It is time for all parents to have a conversation with their daughters and nieces about police violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. We are ready to end this fight against Black women and girls. #SayHerName
