As we approach the 2nd Anniversary Commemoration of the slaying of Michael Brown by police officer, Darren Wilson, in Ferguson, Missouri, there has been a new and important shift in the Movement for Black Lives with the publication of a new Vision Statement. And after the killing of Korryn Gaines by the Baltimore County Police, questions abound about this slaying and whether or not the African American community is able to focus on Black women’s vulnerability to police violence. Can our nation actually #SayHerName? Our guests will include renowned Professor, Kimberle Crenshaw of Columbia and UCLA Law Schools and Co-Director of the African American Policy Center and Center for Intersectionality; recognized emerging leader, Samantha Master, a member of the Black Youth Project 100 and a board member of Serving and Mentoring Youth Advocates and Leaders (SMYAL)–an LGBTQ youth-focused non-profit and others. See www.BarbaraArnwine.com for guest bios.
Since the slaying of Michael Brown on August 9, 2014 there has been a dramatic refocusing on police slayings of African Americans through the activistic Black Lives Matter movement which has not only confronted the lack of police accountability, demanded but has also accelerated a new wave of Black consciousness in the US and internationally. Indeed, the #BLM has been transforming its energies into a broader and more unified movement. Recently, many organizations jointly released a new Vision Statement entitled “A Vision for Black Lives: Policy Demands for Black Power”which is comprehensive plan. This Vision Statement covers many issues beyond policing restructuring including ending war on Black people; reparations; divestment and investment; economic justice; community control; and independent Black political power and self-determination. This vision has scores of “solutions” that it is seeking to achieve to meet these goals.
Our show will examine the Vision Statement and discuss the next steps for community education and implementations.
Also, we will examine the difficulty that Black Lives Matter movement is experiencing with having our community and the national debate over policing to focus on the special vulnerabilities of African American women. We will look at the differential response and levels of concern between the deaths of Black women and Black men. In particular, we will look at the recent slaying of Korryn Gaines in her home by police who were serving an arrest warrant for a minor traffic violation. Ms. Gaines was shot as she sat on the floor of her home with her a rifle in hand and her baby in her arms. The baby was wounded. Many have dismissed her slaying as “being her fault” for not following the directions of the police while at the same time decrying and defending Black men who have been shot for “disobeying” police orders. Why is it so hard to #SayHerName.” What are the next steps for changing this dynamic in our community where the lives of Black women seem to be undervalued?
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Samantha Master
Samantha Master is a Black, queer, feminist activist, advocate, and educator. Her work at the intersections of racial, gender and LGBTQ justice has been chronicled […]
Kimberlé Crenshaw
Kimberlé Crenshaw, Professor of Law at UCLA and Columbia Law School, is a leading authority in the area of Civil Rights, Black feminist legal theory, […]
