Breonna Taylor's Life Mattered
This piece of art by @denny_ow resonated hard with me last week. The photo speaks volumes about Black women and how we are strong yet silenced in the world.
We are often asked to carry unbelievable burdens and lift our communities up with broken backs, while continuing to fight, love and comfort those around us.
The world takes so much from the Black woman and gives a pittance in return. Breonna was a Black woman. Breonna was an essential worker. She served on the front lines of the world wide COVID pandemic that has taken the lives of over 200,000 Americans. She served selflessly while we slept, huddled in our homes, giving lip-service to how great we are. Breonna Taylor deserved decency, to die of old age with dignity. She deserved to have kids and grand kids and for them to call her Big Mama or Madea. Breonna deserved to live - fully, completely, quietly or loudly, to love her man, and have him love her. She didn't deserve to die recklessly and senselessly at the hands of those paid to serve and protect her, those she served along side bravely during this national crisis. She didn't get any of those things, the least of which - Justice, swept by her tomb, her family's place of honor and grace without so much as a tear or symbol of remorse. She deserved the best of us as a nation and we failed her spectacularly.
I had intended to write a post restating the facts as we all know them and as they are continuing to reveal themselves as I write. This instead came from my heart and God's Grace as my message to those who can, should, and must do more to protect, respect, honor and elevate the Black woman. Our lives matter just as much as anyone else's. We are beautiful, soft, strong, capable, intelligent and deserving of love and protection. Stand with us, for us, and shield us when the fight becomes too heavy a burden to bear. We are Black women. I am a Black woman. Breonna Taylor was a Black woman and her life mattered.
If you cannot stand, speak. If you cannot speak, stand. If you can do none of those thing, first do no harm. God's Grace to all.
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