Lecture on Intersectionality and Police Violence Against Black Women

Introduction

• Exercise Activity
  • Audience asked to stand and sit based on name recognition.
  • Names mentioned: Eric Garner, Mike Brown, Tamir Rice, Freddie Gray, Michelle Cusseaux, Tanisha Anderson, Aura Rosser, Meagan Hockaday.
  • Demonstrated low awareness of black women victims among audience.
• Key Point: Illustrates gender bias in recognition of police violence victims.

Awareness and Frames

• Lack of awareness about police violence against black women.
• Communications experts suggest that missing frames lead to unincorporated facts.
• Without frames, issues go unreported and unresolved.
• Example: African-American women suffer from police violence but are often not acknowledged.

Concept of Intersectionality

• Origin: Coined to describe overlapping social justice issues (racism and sexism).
• Example Case: Emma DeGraffenreid, a black woman facing employment discrimination.
  • Legal system's failure to recognize combined race and gender discrimination.
• Point: Intersectionality highlights unique discrimination at the intersection of race and gender.

Systemic Discrimination

• Employment Example: Discrimination in hiring practices—black men hired for industrial jobs, white women for secretarial roles.
• Legal System's Bias: Courts unwilling to combine race and gender discrimination claims.

Police Violence Against Black Women

• Statistics: Black women face severe police violence, often fatal.
• Examples of Circumstances: Killed in homes, cars, streets, and during routine activities.
• Media and Public Apathy: Lack of attention to black women's deaths compared to male counterparts.

Call to Action

• "Say Her Name" Campaign: To raise awareness and remember black women victims.
• Witness and Acknowledge: Encouraged to acknowledge painful realities black women face.
• Visual and Audio Presentation: Presented images and names to generate awareness and emotional response from audience.

Conclusion

• Need for transformation from mourning to action.
• Encouragement to hold black women victims in active memory and advocate for change.
• Final Message: Collective responsibility to address these issues.