All Black Lives have Value and Meaning: Saying Their Names

Dr. Chioma Anah, ATR, LCPC, Board-Approved Supervisor, NCC, ACS
Baltimore, MD

Making Space: Art and Social Justice Advocacy with Dr. Anah is a regular column in Envisage. Please be mindful that this article contains imagery and descriptions of police brutality, killings and violence.

Time and time again, Black people here in the United States are reminded about how little their lives are valued, or matter.  For instance, justice has still not been served for the murder of Breonna Taylor. On September 23, 2020, a grand jury indicted Officer Brett Hankison on three counts of wanton endangerment, the least serious class of felonies in the state of Kentucky, carrying a possible sentence of one to five years in prison and a possible $10,000 fine. To be clear, these charges are actually unrelated to the killing of Breonna Taylor, but rather to the shooting of the neighboring apartments. Ms. Taylor’s name did not even appear on the document; however, her neighbors’ initials were reported. The other two officers involved in the incident, Jonathan Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove, were not indicted. Myles Cosgrove, who fired the fatal shots that killed Ms. Taylor, continues to be employed by the Louisville Police Department. Again, Breonna Taylor’s life was given no value.

On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was arrested and subsequently murdered in police custody, by police officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis, when he knelt on Mr. Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. His last words, according to bystanders, were, “Mama, mama, mama! I can’t breathe! Please, man. You’re going to kill me, man! Tell my kids, I love them, I’m dead.”  There have been countless of other Black victims at the hands of police officers.

Racism is a national health crisis; it causes many physiological and mental health issues for Black people, and it can lead to senseless killings. We are collectively tired of being resilient in the United States. We are hypervigilant, anxious, sad, fearful, and angry. We have racial battle fatigue, and we are not okay. This is why we protest and march, to call attention to the brutality and the reckless lack of regard for Black lives. Black lives have meaning and value, and they matter. This article works to pay homage to the many Black men and women who have been targets, and ultimately victims of brutality at the hands of law enforcement. We are SAYING THEIR NAMES.

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Please note that the names listed here only reflect a fraction of those killed.

We honor the lives of:

·        George Floyd (2020) (46-year old African-American man)

·        Breonna Taylor (2020) (26-year old African-American woman)

·        Ahmaud Arbery (2020) (25-year old African-American man)

·        Christopher McCorvey (2019) (36-year old African-American man)

·        Dominique Clayton (2019) (32-year old African-American woman)

·        Stephon Clark (2018) (22-year old African-American man)

·        Antwon Rose II (2018) (17-year old African-American boy)

·        Kevin Hicks (2016) (44-year old African-American man)

·        Alton Sterling (2016) (37-year old African-American man)

·        Philando Castile (2016) (32-year old African-American man)

·        Alexia Christian (2015) (26-year old African-American woman)

·        Meagan Hockaday (2015) (26-year old African-American woman)

·        Janisha Fonville (2015) (20-year old African-American woman)

·        Natasha McKenna (2015) (37-year old African-American woman)

·        Freddie Gray (2015) (25-year old African-American woman)

·        Sandra Bland (2015) (28-year old African-American woman)

·        Eric Garner (2014) (43-year old African-American man)

·        Tamir Rice (2014) (12-year old African-American boy)

·        Michael Brown (2014) (18-year old African-American man)

·        Gabriella Nevarez (2014) (22-year old African-American woman)

·        Aura Rosser (2014) (40-year old African-American woman)

·        Michelle Cusseaux (2014) (50-year old African-American woman)

·        Tanisha Anderson (2014) (37-yearold African-American woman)

·        Trayvon Martin (2012) (17-year old African-American boy)

We also honor the lives of those killed at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina in 2015, and the recent brutal murders of Black trans women, 27 year-old Dominique “Rem’mie” Fells in Philadelphia, and 25 year old Riah Milton in Cincinnati.

Our thoughts go out to the families of everyone highlighted here, and countless of others who have been killed due to anti-Blackness and racism. Black lives have meaning and value. Black. Lives. Matter.