Remembrance, The African American Policy Forum

Dear Friends and Allies:

We are proud to share that this December marks the six-year anniversary of the #SayHerName Campaign, founded by the African American Policy Forum (AAPF) and Center for Intersectionality and Social Policy Studies on December 14, 2014.

Over the last six years, the #SayHerName Campaign has worked to end the myriad forms of state violence perpetrated against Black women by building awareness, educating the public, amplifying the stories of Black women, girls, and femmes, engaging communities and leaders in transformative policymaking, and generating resources to ensure the prevention of state-sanctioned violence in the future.

In commemoration of all that has been accomplished, and in the spirit of remembering the lives of the women who brought us together, AAPF and the #SayHerName Mothers Network invite you to join us virtually for our #SayHerName 6th Anniversary: An Evening of Remembrance, on Monday, December 14th from 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. EST.

The evening will include an introduction from AAPF Executive Director Kimberlé Crenshaw, words from members of our Mothers Network, music, spoken word, and a ritual honoring the lives and legacies of Black women, girls, and femmes killed by police.

Please RSVP to join us for this remembrance ceremony as we come together for an intimate gathering to honor those we have lost and reflect on the lives that should have been.

RSVP to Remembrance Ceremony

#SayHerName: 2020 Highlights

Amidst profound changes to all of our normal lives and during a period of collective hardship and loss this year, AAPF has worked hard to find new ways to forward #SayHerName’s message. In the spring, AAPF worked with the families of the #SayHerName Mothers Network to compose a moving video with their message for the next mother who would lose a daughter to police violence.

Watch the Open Letter from the Mothers of #SayHerName

AAPF also partnered with the players of the WNBA, who chose to dedicate their season to #SayHerName and to uplift the stories of Black women, girls, and femmes killed by police.

Additionally, we collaborated on a special digital Zine with Gucci’s Chime For Change. This collaboration allowed us to share the history of the #SayHerName movement, celebrate Black women’s power, and mourn Black women lost through personal essays, poetry, art, and other media. You can find the entire Zine at this link.

The cry to #SayHerName has echoed through crowds marching in the streets and across the expanses of the internet in this last year, reaching new eyes and new ears every day. The reasons for the attention are tragic, but the response gives reason for hope; the public outcry against the heartbreaking death of Breonna Taylor could represent a shift in consciousness about how women can be seen as subjects of anti-Black violence.

If that shift is to occur, it will be because #SayHerName—the work of our Campaign—is amplified and sustained. As AAPF Executive Director Kimberlé Crenshaw wrote in her piece on Breonna Taylor for Colin Kaepernick’s Abolition For the People series, “Black women must be centered in the struggle to dismantle barriers to Black freedom.”

The work of our #SayHerName Campaign is so vitally important, now more than ever. Help AAPF and #SayHerName fight to build a future where all Black lives matter.

Donate & Support the #SayHerName Campaign

With gratitude,

The AAPF Team

Please follow AAPF on Instagram (@AAPolicyForum), Twitter (@AAPolicyForum), and Facebook for more updates. You can also follow our E.D. Kimberlé Crenshaw @sandylocks on Twitter, and @kimberlecrenshaw on Instagram.