Black Women's Voices on the Black Lives Matter Movement
One of HiPower's most essential values is to amplify the voices of our women executives. This week, we're amplifying the voices of black women activists, writers, journalists, politicians, and professionals in recent articles and interviews that address the history, context, and urgency of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Source: Unsplash, Julian Wan
“Of Course There Are Protests. The State Is Failing Black People" by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor
“What are the alternatives to protest when the state cannot perform its basic tasks and when lawless police officers rarely get even a slap on the wrist for crimes that would result in years of prison for regular citizens? If you cannot attain justice by engaging the system, then you must seek other means of changing it. That’s not a wish; it’s a premonition.” Read the article in the NYT
Breonna Taylor’s Case Requires as Much Urgency as George Floyd’s: Interview with BLM Youth Leader Thandiwe Abdullah
The criminal charges filed in the deaths of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery are only a first step to justice, says Thandiwe Abdullah, a Black Lives Matter youth leader. But the teen says prosecuting the cops who shot Breonna Taylor will show the movement is more than just a fad. See the interview on NBC Connecticut.
8 Journalists on Reporting While Black, With the Weight of History on Their Shoulders
“On the ground…Black reporters are bearing a unique burden. The undercurrent of civil unrest, frustration, and grief isn’t just a familiar headline; it’s personal. And covering it for hours on end, with little sleep, exacts a toll. For Black women in the media, who have to contend with both racism and sexism, the cost is steep. Here, eight journalists reflect on what it means to do their jobs in this era.” Read the article in Glamour
"We need to talk about how media and creatives portray Black people" by Isis Dallis
“We in the advertising, marketing, communications, media, and entertainment sectors are responsible for creating and circulating the very images that either contribute to or combat the perceptions that are conjured up in the mind of an officer during a split-second reactionary fear-based moment or in a cold-blooded, dehumanizing 8 minutes and 46 seconds. They influence whether someone lives or dies.” Read the article in Fast Company
Stacey Abrams: I Know Voting Feels Inadequate Right Now
“To say that the answer is to go cast a ballot feels not just inadequate, but also disrespectful. “Go vote” sounds like a slogan, not a solution. Because millions of us have voted. And too many still die. The moment requires many things of each one of us. What I am focused on is the work of showing people, in concrete ways, what voting gets us. And being honest about how much work voting requires.” Read the column in the NYT.
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones on protesting and democracy
Nationwide protests over police brutality have roots in America's history of racism and slavery. New York Times Magazine writer Nikole Hannah-Jones says the history of policing that evolved from slave patrols has led to today's police brutality. Hannah-Jones joins "CBS This Morning" to discuss how black Americans are protesting for democracy, not just for themselves, but for all Americans. See the interview on CBS.
Rukaiyah Adams Speech in Portland
Rukaiyah Adams, chief investment officer of the Meyer Memorial Trust and chair of Albina Vision, calls the protests "an expression of love" for George Floyd and other African-Americans who have been killed by police. See her speech on Instagram
