The Movement For Black Lives Must Include Black Women

Until we as a society are outraged about the murder of ALL Black people, we are no closer to building a just future

A demonstrator holds a sign with the image of Breonna Taylor, a black woman who was fatally shot by Louisville Metro Police Department officers, during a protest in Denver, Colorado on June 3, 2020. Photo: Jason Connolly/AFP/Getty Images

“If you are silent about your pain, they’ll kill you and say you enjoyed it.” — Zora Neale Hurston

Unless you’ve been living under a rock or willfully keeping your eyes closed, you’re already well aware of the issues plaguing Black America in this moment. From the high number of Black Covid-19 deaths to the latest round of open season on Black life and an endorsement from 45 to shoot those rebelling against the injustice of it all, it’s an understatement to say that Black folks are exhausted right now.

We’re in the middle of a global pandemic, and many of us watching from home are wondering what we can do to unsuck the world. Because many states are still under stay-at-home orders, much of what we can do is limited to social media activism. While browsing my social media feeds, I’ve noticed a trend: Everyone is outraged about the murders of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd, but outside of Louisville, the outrage about the murder of Breonna Taylor seems to exist almost exclusively among Black women.

Breonna’s murderers have…