#SAYHERNAME

For a few months now I’ve been going back and forth trying to figure out how to begin to discuss this topic. I don’t want to take away from the intended use of the hashtag #SAYHERNAME or its purpose of bringing attention to black women like Breonna Taylor and Sandra Bland’s stories. We must also discuss the many black women who have lost their lives due to domestic violence by black men. Their names should be said and remembered as well, I know this year has been an emotional roller coaster full of ups and downs, the downs seemed more often than not.

I’m usually a very private person when it personal issues as it relates to close family and friends. Opening up and discussing this was something I talked myself out of a few times before, then I realized that this was also something that desperately needed to be discussed.

In the first part of this year in a matter of a couple of months, I experienced the loss of three women who were all women I knew personally or close to some of my family members back home in Pontiac, Michigan. Their lives were taken by men who could move on and decided to end the lives of three women they at one point claimed to have loved. Three families destroyed by tremendous losses and kids who have to grow up without a mom.

Kaneisha Williams 32yrs old: January 22, 2020

Markia Leggett 29yrs old: March 22, 2020

Shanae Clayton 42 yrs old: April 24, 2020

If you click on the names of these three women you can read about their stories. All three leave behind children and Shanae my highschool classmate has a granddaughter. It broke my heart to hear about each other these incidents especially when you personally know the women and know what beautiful human beings they were.

What, then, can be done about the epidemic of violence facing Black women? The first and perhaps most important thing that we can all do is address the root causes of domestic violence, such as the objectification and degradation of women in media, rape culture, harmful gender norms, the pay gap, and other forms of inequality. The underlying causes of domestic violence are the same for all women — and are often more pronounced for Black women. By taking on these issues directly, we can reduce the incidence of domestic violence for all women — and in particular, Black women who are even more impacted by these factors. -Blackburncenter.org

I want to use my platform more to discuss and help women in any way I can to escape from domestic violence. With this post, I want to not only bring awareness but share resources for women who may be in need of help.

If you or someone you know needs help please check out the links below:

blackburncenter.org

thehotline.org

now.org

greatist.com

To purchase a #SAYHERNAME shirt phatgirlbouteeque.com