Overview
#SayHerName is a social movement centering Black women and girls as victims of police violence and state violence, addressing their erasure from mainstream racial justice narratives. Created by the African American Policy Forum (AAPF) and Kimberlé Crenshaw, the campaign demands visibility for Black women killed by police.
Origin & Context
Launched December 2014 following the killings of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, #SayHerName highlighted that Black women’s deaths - including Michelle Cusseaux, Tanisha Anderson, and Rekia Boyd - received minimal attention. Crenshaw’s intersectionality framework revealed how anti-Black racism and sexism render Black women invisible.
Key Cases
The movement amplified stories including:
- Sandra Bland (2015): Died in Texas jail after traffic stop
- Breonna Taylor (2020): Killed in Louisville police raid, became international symbol
- Atatiana Jefferson (2019): Shot through window in Fort Worth
- Korryn Gaines (2016): Killed in Maryland police standoff
Cultural Impact
#SayHerName protests and vigils occurred nationwide, demanding accountability for Black women’s deaths. The campaign influenced media coverage, forcing inclusion of Black women in racial justice discourse. Breonna Taylor’s case in 2020 became a rallying cry globally.
Intersectionality & Feminism
The movement challenged mainstream feminism’s centering of white women and Black liberation movements’ centering of Black men. It insisted that racial justice requires addressing gendered violence against Black women, including police violence, intimate partner violence, and reproductive injustice.
Policy Demands
Advocates demanded police accountability, data collection on police violence against Black women, and policies addressing Black maternal mortality, economic inequality, and criminalization of Black mothers.