Many observers have argued that the Black Lives Matter movement has largely focused on police killings of unarmed black men, almost altogether ignoring or brushing over the deaths of unarmed black women at the hands of police.
In an effort to draw attention to and seek justice for these women’s deaths (Rekia Boyd, Yvette Smith and Aiyana Jones are just a few names on a much longer list), #SayHerName protests were held nationwide Thursday, with one in particular garnering the most attention.
A group of women in San Francisco staged a topless protest to further draw attention to the deaths of black women and girls at the hands of police, and they completely shut down the city’s busiest streets during morning rush hour in the process.
The women held signs displaying the hashtag #SayHerName and photos of slain black women and girls.
As Chinyere Tutashinda, founding member of the BlackOut Collective and a member of the Bay Area chapter of Black Lives Matter, put it:
“We also understand that we live in a country that commodifies black women and black bodies but ignores the death of black women and black girls.” (TIME)
See a few more photos from the moving protest below.
