#Saytheirnames

Ebonistas
Jun 6, 2020
3 min read

Updated: Jan 2, 2021

The Ebonistas support those affected not only by the murder of George Floyd, but the countless black men, woman and children that have perished at the hands of those sworn to serve and protect all communities! While our allies are using their bodies to protest these injustices, we understand that there are many of us looking for ways to get involved. Please visit the many resources mentioned within this post and if you are able and make a contribution as you see fit. This includes monetary donations, supplies for the communities that are in the midst of protests and/or calling your state and local representatives. Most importantly we encourage you to use your voice during the upcoming elections.

This week, we decided to join the world in honoring those black women, men and children that died at the hands of law enforcement. The following names are only a small fraction of that demographic. While your support can be shown in many ways, from protesting, to promoting social awareness we ask that you take a few moments to recognize those who lost their lives and acted as martyrs for this cause. These deaths have had a tremendous impact on all of us and we would like to honor their memories and lives.

Emmett Till

George Floyd

Trayvon Martin

Ahmad Ahbery

Rekia Boyd

Aiyana MoNay Stanley-Jones

Eric Garner

Breonna Taylor

Atatiana Jefferson

Korryn Gaines

Sandra Bland

Freddie Gray

Tanisha Anderson

William Green

Anton Black

Emmanuel Oates

Curtis Deal

Shelly Marie Frey

Steven Demarco Taylor

Ariane McCree

Miles Hall

Sean Reed

Darius Tarver

De’Von Bailey

Gregory Hill, Jr.

Anthony Hill

Alberta Spruill

Michelle Cusseaux

Tamir Rice

Cameron Tillman

Micheal Brown

Philando Castille

Zendall Noble

You may have noticed that we began and ended this list with Emmett Till. The reason for this, is not because Emmett Till was the first or last incident of racial injustice against a black person. In fact, he was not murdered by law enforcement, but everyday white citizens that took the law into their own hands. On August 24, 1955, Emmett was a 14 year old child that walked into a store and Carolyn Bryant, a white woman, accused him of sexual advances. In the early morning hours of August 28, 1955, Roy Bryant and John William “J.W.” Milam tracked down Emmett at his uncles’ home whom he had been visiting and abducted him. These men recruited other local adult men both black and white and began a terrifying, painful and drawn out execution of this child.

This next part is directly from Wikipedia: “Three days after his abduction and murder, Till's swollen and disfigured body was found by two boys who were fishing in the Tallahatchie River. His head was very badly mutilated, he had been shot above the right ear, an eye was dislodged from the socket, there was evidence that he had been beaten on the back and the hips, and his body weighted by a fan blade, which was fastened around his neck with barbed wire. He was nude, but wearing a silver ring with the initials "L. T." and "May 25, 1943" carved in it.[61][note 6] His face was unrecognizable due to trauma and having been submerged in water.”

The men that brutally murdered Emmett were acquitted on all charges. Decades later, Carolyn Bryant confessed that what Emmett had been accused of never happened. In fact, she was quoted as saying, “nothing that boy did could ever justify what happened to him.”

This story shows why it is so important for people like Central Park Karen, Amy Cooper, cannot use the police as a means of risking an innocent person's life because something is happening that they don’t like. A threat is not the same as being uncomfortable or feeling like someone doesn’t have the same rights as you. This privilege has also trickled down into the political process and is now the root of the police brutality that black people face everyday. Being afraid that each traffic stop could lead to the loss of your life is a terrifying feeling that needs to stop. Understanding your privilege and stopping people from using their white privilege as a weapon is the first step in making a change.

Thank you for your continued support in the Ebonistas Podcast. We truly appreciate you tuning in. Please go to the Ebonistas IG and Facebook page to find out ways that you can help and raise awareness. Please stay safe and know that together we can be the change that we wish to see in the world.