At Least 50 Black Women Have Been Killed By Police Since 2015: Report

Photo: Getty Images

A new report shows that at least 50 Black women have died at the hands of law enforcement since 2015. Not one of the officers involved has been convicted. 

“Violence towards Black girls and women has always received far too little coverage, leaving hte loved ones of countless victims of state-sanctioned murder without justice,” Arisha Hatch, vice president and chief of campaigns at Color of Change, told Insider

The outlet compiled data from police reports and news stories to create a database of police-involved killings of Black women since 2015. The number of victims compiled in the report is 50, though the true number could be higher. Researchers at the University of Michigan documented the erasure and exclusion of Black women from social justice movements, which they attribute to the intersectional lived experiences Black women have. 

“Black women are often overlooked in people’s conversations about racism and sexism even though they face a unique combination of both these forms of discrimination simultaneously,” lead researcher Stewart Coles said. “This ‘intersectional invisibility’ means that movements that are supposed to help Black women may be contributing to their marginalization.”

Photos of victims of police violence are placed at a vigil in NYC in 2020 marking the 5-year anniversary of the death of Sandra Bland. Photo: Getty Images

Photo: Getty Images

The #SayHerName campaign was founded in 2014 to raise awareness around Black women, girls, and femmes who are killed by police. The movement has galvanized attention and support around victims whose stories are not as well known. 

We honor victims here, saying their names. To those whose deaths we do not know about, may they also be remembered. 

A family member holds a butterfly that was released during the funeral service for Ma'Khia Bryant, 16, who was shot and killed by a police officer in Columbus, Ohio on April 20, 2021.

Nina Adams

LaShanda Anderson

Deresha Armstrong

Kisha Arrone

Crystalline Barnes

India Beaty

Dereshia Blackwell

Sandra Bland

Jonie Block

Ma’Khia Bryant

Alexia Christian

Decynthia Clements

Deborah Danner

Angel Viola DeCarlo

Monique Jenee Deckard

Cynthia Fields

Janisha Fonville

Korryn Gaines

Francine Graham

Sandy Guardiola

Mya Hall

Yuvette Henderson

Kiwi Herring 

Cariann Hithon

Meagan Hockaday

Nika Holbert

Atatiana Jefferson

Redel Jones

Bettie Jones

Helen Jones

India Kager 

Charleena Lyles

Marquesha mcMillan

Kisha Michael

India Nelson

Jessica Nelson-Williams

Lajuana Phillips

Crystal Danielle Ragland

Morgan London Rankins

Sahlah Ridgeway

Shukri Ali Said

Michelle Lee Shirley

Tameka LaShay Simpson

Laronda Sweatt

Breonna Taylor

Geraldine Townsend

Pamela Shantay Turner

Latasha Nicole Walton

April Webster

Robin White

Janet Wilson

Alteria Woods

To learn more about these women's stories, click here.

Reading about Black trauma can have an impact on your mental health. If you or someone you know need immediate mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor. These additional resources are also available: 

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255

The National Alliance on Mental Illness 1-800-950-6264

The Association of Black Psychologists 1-301-449-3082

The Anxiety and Depression Association of America 1-240-485-1001

For more mental health resources, click HERE

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