Breonna Taylor’s name is the most recent addition to the
tragic list of Black women killed by police. The #SayHerName
Movement launched in 2015 by attorney Kimberle Crenshaw and the African American Policy Forum she founded memorializes
the female victims of police brutality.
Friday night in Louisville, Kentucky where Taylor was killed
by police protesters gathered for another rally, shouting “no justice, no
peace.”
They returned after seven protesters were shot last night
during a rally attended by hundreds. Police say none of them was shot by law
enforcement.
The crowds in Louisville where police shot and killed Taylor
while delivering a “no-knock” warrant are linked to the hundreds in Minneapolis
who took to the streets after a videotape showed a white police officer
kneeling for several minutes on the neck of an unarmed Black man, George Floyd,
who later died at the hospital. Charges were filed against the officer earlier Friday. Democratic
Vice-Presidential nominee Joe Biden mentioned Taylor during a recorded
statement his campaign released to address the Floyd case.
“We’ve spoken their names aloud, we’ve cried them out in pain and in horror, we’ve chiseled them into our longsuffering hearts,” Biden said. “They’re the latest additions to the endless list of stolen potential wiped out unnecessarily.
The Mothers of #SayHerName
In an open letter to Taylor’s mother,
the mothers of #SayHerName offered support.
“I hate we have to meet under these circumstances,” said
Fran Garrett, whose 50-year-old daughter, Michelle Cusseaux was killed by
Phoenix police in 2014 when she raised a hammer over her head. Cusseaux
suffered from mental illness, and police had been called to transport her to a
psychiatric facility.
Gina Best added, “Now, you’re dealing with something you
never could even begin to plan for or account for, and that is the murder of
your beautiful daughter….they don’t wanna hear about Black women being killed
by police at all.”
Best’s daughter, India Kager, was shot and killed by
Virginia Beach police when a suspect in her car opened fire on police. Police
returned fire, and Kager and Angelo Perry were killed. Their four-month-old baby
was in the car but unharmed.
Maria Moore, whose sister Kayla
died in police custody in Berkeley, California, joined the “mothers of sorrow”
to embrace Taylor’s mother.
She said, “Every holiday, every birthday is a reminder. As a
family, we come together and that’s what gets us through.”
“We love you…we know what’s it like,” Best asserted in the
videotaped open letter.
“We need to keep it going, and say her name,” stated Garrett.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order that will provide support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and establish a White House Initiative on HBCUs to “deliver high-quality education to a growing number of students.”
According to the White House, the Initiative will help develop private-sector partnerships, institutional development and workforce preparation in technology, health care, manufacturing and finance.
The president and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Dr. Harry L. Williams said, “Today’s executive order serves as strong reaffirmation of President Trump’s support of investment of historically Black colleges and universities. This executive order should serve as a call-to-action for corporations, foundations, members of Congress and state lawmakers to redouble their efforts to support HBCUs and their students. TMCF looks forward to continued engagement with the administration and Congress to deliver results for HBCUs and the students they serve via appropriations and other legislative actions.”
On the same day, Trump signed another executive order that removes safeguards for African American schoolchildren by eliminating an Obama-era initiative to protect Black schoolchildren from excessive disciplinary action.
During the Obama administration, the first Black president’s administration created guidelines that sought to prevent school discipline from having a disproportionate effect on minority students. Trump revoked the civil rights initiative during his first term and Biden did not formally restore it.
At his signing today, Trump said his decision was especially important to the current Education Secretary Linda McMahon, who held the signed order.
“Under the Biden-Harris Administration, schools were forced to consider equity and inclusion when imposing discipline,” McMahon said in a statement. “Their policies placed racial equity quotas over student safety – encouraging schools to turn a blind eye to poor or violent behavior in the name of inclusion.”
She added, “Disciplinary decisions should be based solely on students’ behavior and actions.
Studies show that Black students are punished more often than their white counterparts.
President Jimmy Carter advanced opportunities for African Americans throughout his life, advocating for justice and peace consistent with the Christian values he embraced. Since his death on December 29 at age 100, Mr. Carter’s praises have been sung from his home state of Georgia to points around the globe. And while the former president’s one-term in the White House is dismissed by some political pundits for a lack of policies or accomplishments that changed the course of history, his character and integrity set him apart.
Carter became the first president to appoint a Black woman head of a federal agency. He chose Patricia Roberts Harris to lead the Housing and Urban Development when he took office in 1977.
Harris said, “I feel deeply proud and grateful this President chose me to knock down this barrier, but also a little sad about being the ‘first Negro woman,’ because it implies we were not considered before.”
Senator William Proxmire questioned Carter’s choice, saying Harris came from too much wealth and influence to be an effective leader. But Carter stood by his decision, and Harris stayed in the position for two years.
The 39th president’s name is also included on the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame.
Civil rights activist, Rev. Al Sharpton recalled a conversation he shared with Carter.
“It was very significant, I was talking there at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial, and I was talking to President Clinton and President Carter,” Sharpton recalled. “And when Clinton and I finished talking, President Carter touched me on my arm and said, ‘How are you doing with your ministry, Al? I see you out there with your activism. Don’t leave your ministry … keep your prayer life going.’ And you could tell he sincerely meant it. He was not one who talked about his religion as a political kind of something you could say to voters.”
President Joe Biden declared January 9, 2025, a national day of mourning. Millions watched the former president’s funeral on television as he was remembered as a man of honesty, compassion and faith – which included championing the rights of Americans who knew firsthand the struggle of injustice
The Congressional Black Caucus started the 119th Congress with its largest membership. There were 62 members sworn in today.
“On behalf of the entire Congressional Black Caucus, congratulations to the members of the Executive Committee of the 119th Congress. 53 years after our Caucus’ founding, our work to improve the lives and conditions of Black people in America is more important than ever before,” said CBC President Steven Horsford.