Black Lives Matter

#SayHerName x #InHerHonor

On May 19th, 2016, as part of the national #SayHerName day of action, we are asking folks to participate in lifting up women and femmes who are no longer with us, and/or those who inspire us in our everyday lives. Upload an image, graphic or photograph of someone you want to lift up, using either #SayHerName for those who have been taken from us and #InHerHonor for those who are still with us or passed from natural causes.

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Lisa Leslie
Audre Lorde
She created space for her story thereby clearing the way for those who have come after her.
Jackie Carter
Jackie Carter passed away on April 13, 2016 after a courageous, graceful dance with lymphoma. This piece in the New York Times gives just a small snapshot of the many, many ways she made the world a better place while she was here, and the many lives she touched so deeply–and will continue to do so.
Cindy Wibbles
Cindy was sweet and funny. Always smiling and laughing. I can hear it in my mind…. She lost her life to domestic Violience.
Maya Angelou
She was a ‘phenomenal’ woman, who inspired others to live their lives with authenticity with passion & truth.
Kat Blaque
Kat Blaque is a black trans women who has various social media. She posts many videos on YouTube regarding various social issues, and I’ve really learned a lot from her. I think she’s a really admirable woman, and deserves more recognition.
Nicole and Arianna Fitts
Rest in Peace Nicole Fitts I pray that your daughter Arianna is immediately found safe… I am deeply saddened by the loss of such a beautiful family. sending many prayers for the healing of your family and for justice in our community. https://www.gofundme.com/NicoleFitts
Derrinnishia Clay and too many others
Rekia Boyd
Dante Servin fatally shot an unarmed 22-year-old, Rekia Boyd in 2012. He had has decided to resign from the force rather than fight to retain his job.
Leymah Gbowee
Leymah Gbowee is a liberian lady (like in Michael Jackson’s song). I don’t really know if african ladies can be part of your work but she’s so wonderful… She fights domestic abuse (rape, physical and psychological abuse). She supports war victims (especial rape victims and child soldiers) and all the ones who are suffering. She won a nobel peace prize in 2011 and declined joining the government, choosing fieldwork because she really wanna help people. She never loose her willpower and determination to assist women and victims. I love you Leymah !
April Love
April was taken from us on September 11, 2005. She was an intelligent, gracious, compassionate, and conscientious. Her fight for what is fair and just was reflected in her day to day actions. Her life was cut too short, but she left a legacy of love and power.
LaNiya Miller, Ashaunti Butler and Domonique Battle
On March 31, St. Petersburg-natives LaNiya Miller, 15, Ashaunti Butler, 15, and Dominique Battle, 16, drowned in a retention pond off of Gandy Blvd. after being pursued by county and city police for allegedly stealing a car from a local Walmart Market. More than 15 trained police officers ended up on at the scene, yet the car sank and the girls drowned in less than six feet of water. The timeline of events, officer reports, dash cam footage and Sheriff Bob Gualtieri’s statements leave us wondering what actually happened at the pond, and if those officers actually exhausted all options in saving the girls. The facts lead us to believe that they did not do everything they could to save them and that is unacceptable. Regardless of the assumed crime, regardless of their actions, LaNiya, Ashaunti and Dominique were kids who deserved to be saved. We stand in solidarity with their mothers, families and friends in demanding justice for them. – See more at: http://www.advancementproject.org/page/s/-kidsnotcriminals-petition?utm_content=bufferbeb0f&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer#sthash.eeHN36l8.dpuf
Sandra Bland
Tanisha Anderson
She was a 37 year old mentally ill- bipolar-Black woman and mother. In looking up details of her life, I learn that her daughter’s name is Mauvion. For a period of her life she ran a day care, where she taught children their colors and numbers. Every thing I read which quotes her family touches on how brilliant she was. They all mention her desire to pursue journalism. I also learned that she had a pet dog name Drama. There are details about her death, that make it appear undignified or shameful. Mentally ill Black women deserve dignity in life and in death, and this is why I honor Tanisha.
Shadae “Dae Dae” Schmidt
Shadae Schmidt, aka Dae Dae, was a 32-year-old African-American woman who died of a heart attack on March 13, 2014, at the California Institution for Women state prison in Chino. Her death was caused by severe medical neglect after she had been begging for medical help for weeks. The California Coalition for Women Prisoners (CCWP) worked with her close friends and family to demand an investigation into how correctional cops neglected her cries for help, and left her sitting in a cage while in acute cardiac distress. Justice for Dae Dae. Demand a special review into the death of Shadae ‘Dae Dae’ Schmidt bit.ly/CIWDeaths
Macy Gray
I am uplifting Macy Gray because she is a mental wellness advocate and is a youth activist for young teenagers helping to play basketball.
I am honoring my mother, Vanessa Gordon.
My mother is a black woman who until recently worked for the New York times. She began in semi-poverty in Junction City, Kansas, and rose to become a copy editor on the News Desk at the New York Times, editing headlines for, and even drawing up the layout of the front page. She was fired for reasons unknown because of the Times’ policy on nondisclosure in personnel matters, and is now actively searching for work. She often says that the experience of having to look for work is foreign to her because she has always been sought out by journalistic recruiters. I honor my mother, Vanessa’s past achievements and I honor her current perseverance in searching for work as a black woman in her mid-fifties.
Kim Milan
Im honoring Kim Milan Because she is standing up for what she believes in , And being a voice for people who don’t feel their being heard .She is currently executive Director for The peoples Project a movement of Queer and trans folks and color and allies . I admire people that fight and also open up eyes for the people that might not see it the way she needs they should see it . So this is in honor to you Kim Milan .
Toni Morrison
I chose to honor Toni Morrison. She is a brilliantly beautiful author and an inspiration to many, including myself. Reading her writing for the first time was an eye opening experience, causing me to think about myself and others and the world in a way no other piece of literature had before. Toni Morrison defies the saying “actions speak louder than words”, for her her words do not just speak to the reader, they happen to you.
Myself
I am honoring myself because I have hit the lowest points in my life yet I have been able to pick myself back up & continue to strive for nothing more than absolute success. I believe that no one could’ve made this positive change happen but my self. I am in a happier place with myself. I am proud to say that I have changed for the better. I have a more uplifting view on the world. I know there is a place that I belong and I will find it eventually. But in the time being I will be overlooking & taking part in changing the community piece by piece. I am a survivor and I am a queen I no longer allow myself to be put down or let my insecurities over power me. I Honor Myself.
Tiffany Lenoi Jones
The person I’m uplifting is Tiffany Jones aka teacher Tiff at City As school. The reason I’m uplifting her is because she’s such a powerful woman in not only my life but the lives of other students. She is an activist and an inspiration to many; through her artwork and beautiful intellectual viewpoints I believe she deserves to be honored as a strong woman who will be remembered throughout the hearts of many.
Betty Shabazz
Most commonly known as the wife of Malcolm X, Betty Shabazz isn’t always recognized for her own hard work and activism. It’s unfair for women to fall into the shadows of their husband’s legacies and not be given one of their own, and for that reason I am honoring her. Betty Shabazz grew up with a middle class foster family in Detroit, where her parents tried their best to shelter her from racism and segregation. However, when she went away to college at Tuskegee University, she experienced racism in a way she never had before. She became a registered nurse and after her husband was assassinated decided to continue her education while supporting her six children and received a Ph.D. in education administration and served as a professor and then a director of the department of communications and public relations at Medgar Evers College. Betty Shabazz lectured as a civil rights activist and fought for racial tolerance. Betty worked incredibly diligently for herself and others. She worked to leave a legacy behind for young black women to build off of and for this reason I uplift her name.