Say Their Names

Tanisha Anderson
Armaud Arbery
Jacob Blake – of this list, the only one still alive as of this writing, paralyzed from the waist down
Sandra Bland
Michael Brown
Philando Castile
Stephon Clark
Michelle Cusseaux
George Floyd
Jamel Floyd
Janisha Fonville
Eric Garner
Freddie Gray
Akai Gurley
Botham Jean
Atatiana Jefferson
Justin Howell
Trayvon Martin
Elijah McClain
Sean Monterossa
Gabriella Nevarez
Trayford Pellerin
Tamir Rice
Aura Rosser
Alton Sterling
Breonna Taylor

These are just some of the names we know.
There are so many more whose names we don’t even know.
There are some names of people that some of us may hold deeply in our hearts.

The rate of fatal police shootings in the United States shows large differences based on race. Among Black Americans, the rate of fatal police shootings between 2015 and July 2020 stood at 31 per million of the population, while for White Americans, the rate stood at 13 fatal police shootings per million of the population. (Published by Statista Research Department, Jul 31, 2020)

There will be more names until we do everything in our power to stop the killing of our Black and Brown brothers and sisters.

Speak up, come together and hold each other, act, vote. Never give up.

Josh

PS: A few resources:

How to be an Antiracist, by Ibram X. Kendi

I Fought Two Plagues and Only Beat One, The New York Times

Just Mercy, by Bryan Stevenson

Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness, by Anastasia Higginbotham

Racism in Health Care Isn’t Always Obvious, Scientific American

Systemic Racism as a Public Health Issue, from the Follow the Data Podcast at Bloomberg Philanthropies​

The Health Care System Has the Black Community in a Choke Hold, California Health Care Foundation

We Need to Talk About an Injustice, Bryan Stevenson’s TED Talk