Keenan Anderson
Tyree Nichols
Tyree Nichols
The former was a tenth grade English teacher and a cousin of Patrisse Cullors, one of the founders of Black Lives Matter. The latter was a father and amateur photographer who loved sunsets and skateboarding. Both were killed by law enforcement last month- joining thousands of other Black men whose lives were also taken away prematurely.
“Nothing can be changed until it is faced.” – James Baldwin
Every year, the Association for the Study of African American Life and History selects a theme for Black History Month; this year’s is “Black Resistance”, recognizing the efforts of African Americans to resist historic and ongoing oppression in all of its forms, “especially the racial terrorism of lynching, racial pogroms, and police killings since our arrival upon these shores.”
The theme of resistance is symbolic given the recent deaths of Keenan Anderson and Tyree Nichols. But, this resistance is not sustainable alone. We must join their resistance to ensure additional, data-based policies are in place to keep law enforcement accountable.
The theme of resistance is symbolic given the recent deaths of Keenan Anderson and Tyree Nichols. But, this resistance is not sustainable alone. We must join their resistance to ensure additional, data-based policies are in place to keep law enforcement accountable.
