Naming Black Women and Girls and the Violence Against Them
August 17, 2016Last week, I heard about Rae’Lynn Thomas, a Black trans woman murdered in Ohio by her mother’s ex-boyfriend, and was reminded why it’s important to #SayHerName.
As I scrolled down my timelines and feeds, I realized that only other Black women and femmes were talking about what had happened to her. When people who are not Black women and femmes continue to ignore this type of violence, they are perpetuating the notion that Black women and femmes’ safety, wellbeing, and existence isn’t valued. We must all recognize the various forms of violence and how they impact particular groups, if we want to stop it.