The Killing of Black Women By Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.

August 9, 2015

The Killing of Black Women
By Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq. 

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(TriceEdneyWire.com) —The killing of Black men has occupied a lot of airtime—especially since the deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Walter Scott, Tamir Rice, Kendrick Johnson,  Samuel DuBose, Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis in—and the list goes on.  Their cases deserved a lot of attention; however, little notice has been given to the dramatic increase in the killing of Black women.  In some of the cases, it might be said that police nor guns killed them—but I submit that all have died from a system that does not value Black women’s lives.

At least five Black women have died in jail in the past few weeks.  That’s serious because Black women as a rule do not kill themselves.  Too many have died needlessly in a very short time.  Some died from civilian attackers.  Some died at the hands of police.  Add to that those who have lost sons, nephews, spouses, etc. and you’ve got a heavier burden on Black women than any other women in this country have.

I don’t have to think hard about unwarranted recent deaths of Black women. If you are a Black woman, you can rattle off the names with no problem.  Just in the past month, we’ve lost at least five Black women held behind bars.

Sandra Bland may be the best known one.  She was found dead in a Texas, jail cell July 13, after being pulled over for an alleged minor traffic violation.  The policeman who stopped her agitated Sandra by yelling at her, threatening her with a laser, pulling her out of the car, taking her outside the range of the camera, brutalizing her, then accused her of being the aggressor. Once in jail, she was left unattended for longer than jail policy allows. Once she was mysteriously dead, her captors began making up all kind of wild stories when there was no one around to give her side of the story of how she died and why.

Kendra Chapman was found dead in her Alabama holding cell July 14, hours after being arrested for allegedly stealing a cell phone.

Joyce Cornell was found dead in a South Carolina, detention center July 22, one day after being arrested over an outstanding bench warrant.

Ralkina Jones was found dead in an Ohio jail cell July 26 after being arrested for charges related to a domestic dispute with her ex-husband.

Ralkina Jones was found dead in an Ohio jail cell July 26, after being arrested for charges related to a domestic dispute with her ex-husband.

Raynetta Turner was found dead in a New York jail cell July 27 after being arrested.

There are more who were killed by police officers outside of jail. Aiyana Jones, a young 7 year old was killed by a Detroit police officer as she slept on her father’s couch. Rekia Boyd was killed in Chicago by a police officer. Yvette Smith was unarmed when she was killed by a police officer in Texas.   Tarika Wilson, whose one-year-old son was also injured when she was killed by an Ohio police officer. Tyisha Miller was killed by a police officer in Los Angeles. Kathryn Johnson was killed by a police officer in Atlanta.  Gabriella Nevarez was killed by a Sacramento police officer. Eleanor Bumpurs was killed by a police officer in the Bronx. Most of these names we’ve never heard on the evening news.  We heard more about the shooting of Cecil, the lion.

Without judging the guilt or innocence of these women, they had a right to live and defend themselves.  Not one of them should have died and the death of neither one should silence them. We have an obligation to speak and to seek justice for them.

(Dr. E. Faye Williams is National President/CEO of the National Congress of Black Women. www.nationalcongressbw.org.  202/678-6788.)