When There’s Justice for Black Women and Girls, There Will Be Justice for Everyone
Ma’Khia Bryant. Breonna Taylor. Anjanette Young. 15-year-old Grace who spent 78 days in juvenile detention for not doing her homework.
Nearly every day, we are reminded that racism continues to be the thread that holds the American flag together and that criminal-legal system reform is not only a racial justice issue, but also a gender justice issue.
Since 2014, the National Black Women’s Justice Institute has worked to research, elevate, and educate the public about innovative community-led solutions to end the criminalization of Black women and girls. And while we have made important strides, it’s clear that there’s still work to do. Within the last year:
- Police officers in Rochester, NY, pepper sprayed a 9-year-old Black girl who was handcuffed and in custody.
- A deputy and school resource officer in Osceola, FL, was recorded body-slamming 16-year-old Black student Taylor Bracey.
- Police officers in Rochester, NY, tackled and pepper-sprayed a Black woman in front of her 3-year-old daughter after being accused of shoplifting. There was no evidence of her shoplifting, yet she was charged with trespassing over the incident.
- A Colorado Black woman, Lakeyjanay Bailey, was confronted by police after being falsely accused of sex trafficking while flying with her 4-year-old white sister.
- A Florida newborn died shortly after her mother, Erica Thompson, did not receive adequate medical care after giving birth in her jail cell and calls for help were ignored.
- Nikkita Brown, a Black woman walking her dog in a Chicago park, was physically assaulted by a white police officer.
- A deputy in Jefferson Parish, LA, slammed Shantel Arnold to the ground by her hair as he responded to her call for help after she was attacked.
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Systems continue to fail Black women and girls, so at NBWJI we are working toward a better vision, toward a society where healing — not punishment — is upheld as justice. We are doing this by conducting rigorous research that elevates the voices of Black women and girls who have been impacted by the criminal legal system and brings their lived experiences to the forefront. For example, we have launched a study examining the experiences and interactions that Black women and gender-expansive people have with police to present an intersectional look at police violence in Black communities.
We turn that research into action by partnering with allies to inform community services and policy solutions that center the needs of directly impacted Black women and girls. Based on our study examining the experiences that Black women and gender-expansive people have with police, we’re building a publicly-available database of police violence against Black women and gender-expansive people in the US. This database will enhance our understanding of the effects and health consequences of police encounters and violence. It will also expand our definition of police violence and allow us to advance policy and practice reforms that center Black women, girls, and gender-expansive people.
There is so much more work we must do, and this work is not possible without you.
You can help us end the criminalization of Black women and girls:
- Donate directly to NBWJI
- Sign up for updates about upcoming research, new publications, and invitations to our events
- Engage with us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook and invite your networks to do the same
With your support, we can end the systemic punishment of Black women and girls and build a society that respects, values, and honors our humanity, takes accountability for the harm it has inflicted, and recognizes that real justice is healing.
Additional Links:
- Learn more about the National Black Women’s Justice Institute
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