Black Women’s Stories of Police Violence and Public Silence,” which analyzes the stories of Black women killed by police and their family members who have advocated for them.

“In the excerpts from the mothers of SayHerName in the book, we are angered by the contemptuous ways in which their loved ones’ lives were stolen, we are shocked by the callous ways that a mother or a sister was informed or not informed about the brutal police killings of their loved ones.

We are heartbroken to hear about the lifelong scars of the young children who witnessed the deaths of their mothers at the hands of police,” Crenshaw said in remarks about the book last year.

Bland died in a Texas jail cell in 2015.

Her death and the more recent killings of Breonna Taylor in 2020 and Massey this year are a stark reminder of the threats Black women face when they encounter law enforcement.

In Massey’s case, it also highlights broader questions about how the government uses police officers for public safety.

A number of programs across the country seek to decrease the amount of contact that law enforcement officials have with the public by establishing unarmed community responder teams.

The sheriff’s deputy who shot Massey has been charged with murder.

Her family now awaits what comes next.

During a press conference following her killing, Massey’s father called for reforms to the policing system, including the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act that aims to fight police misconduct and use of force, but has not been passed by Congress.

“The only time I’m gonna see my baby again is when I leave this world, and I don’t ever want anybody else in the United States to join this league,” Massey’s father said.

“Every member of Congress needs to vote today so that nobody else in this United States of America has to go through what we’re going through.

”