Say her name: Sonya Massey

A few weeks ago my daughter and I went to a local museum (The Frist) to see their current installation called Printing the Revolution. It is powerful. One of the first pieces you see when you walk into the gallery is a piece with names and facial drawings of people of color who have been killed by police violence.

I was telling my daughter about a song I often play for my students that has the names of people of color killed by police and that most every semester there are new names to add to the lyrics.

This semester we add the name of Sonya Massey.

We have some evidence for strategies that work, like these from the University of Michigan: measures to reduce excessive force by police These are ways to intervene systemically.

If you haven’t read it, please get a copy of the book My Grandmother’s Hands. The author is a social worker, and the main focus of the book is examining race-based trauma and how we are all affected by it. There is an emphasis on healing based on neuroscience and somatic methods. This is how to make a difference in your individual life. Read it more than once.

I don’t have a good closing or wrap up for this piece.

Say her name.