Megan Thee Stallion’s Stance on the Breonna Taylor Case and Black Women’s Trauma

Megan Thee Stallion has called out for the protection of Black women on her Saturday Night Live performance in relation to the Breonna Taylor case. She kicked off with her smash summer anthem “Savage” on the show’s 46th premiere season. The announcement of Kentucky’s general attorney Daniel Cameron’s decision to not charge any officer with Taylor’s death sparked Megan’s protest to include it within her performance.

The show starts off with “Savage” as the back of the screen reads “Protect Black Women.” Halfway through the performance Megan and her dancers pause and stand in silence, as a 1962 Malcolm X speech pierces through as gunshots appear on the screen as he makes each point. These points are met with the word “savage” being used across the screen to add emphasis, like a bullet point grazing over the fact that Black women are still widely mistreated across the country.

Activist Tamika Mallory is next after the speech, critiquing Daniel Cameron handling of the Taylor case. Mallory spoke last week following the announcement of the ruling: “Daniel Cameron is no different than the sell-out Negroes who sold our people into slavery.”

Megan then speaks directly to the audience: “We need to protect our Black women and love our Black women.” Megan even extends the message of the protection of Black men.

"Protect Black Women"
Megan Thee Stallion#SNL pic.twitter.com/n4ZkeowmxK

— 3030 (@jose3030) October 4, 2020

The performance touched on all of the trauma faced during these recent months. The star has had her own run-in with gun violence, going on live calling out her assaulter, Tory Lanez, who shot her several times on the night of July 12. The situation escalated quickly on Twitter, where users were making fun of Megan’s pain and suffering she had to endure that night.

This extends to Breonna Taylor, to the videos of Black women being taunted at. One Instagram video had a group of Black men throw a Black woman in a trash can. There’s even a trend on TikTok. where young men are seen listing their dating preferences, but each video includes a dig or insult at Black women.

“The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. The most unprotected, neglected person in America is the Black woman,” is a quote that seems to be ringing more clearly by the day. Black women birth out our Black men, and the way we treat them speaks volumes to how this system is not broken because it’s doing what it was intended to do. Breonna Taylor, Sandra Bland, Oluwatoyin Salau, Kenneka Jenkins, and many others fall victim to how structural racism within this country fails to bring justice for our Black women.

Ironic because Black women are some of the most used memes to express emotions throughout Twitter, Instagram and other social platforms. From Nene Leakes of Real Housewives of Atlanta to Tiffany Pollard (also known as New York), known by a stream of appearances on VH1 reality TV series. Both are some of the most known faces that appear on these platforms. If we love Black women as much as we use our humor then the phrase, “Anyway, arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor,” would not exist. The phrase erased the purpose of why and focused more on being an engagement tool to garner more clicks to social media profiles.

Black women are dying and no one seems to be ding anything about it other than Black women. If anyone truly cares, then they would be out there protesting, donating, and or signing petitioning for change.