American pop star and Atlantic Records recording artist Janelle Monae, has debuted her song ‘Say Her Name’, the powerful and touching track from her 2013, chart-topping album, Electric Lady.
The song’s jerking lyrics honor the lives of black women across America who have senselessly lost their lives to racial police brutality.
The seventeen-minute and forty two-second long illustrational video and song is a result of her partnership with the African American Policy Forum (AAPF) and Center for Intersectionality and Social Policy Studies (CISPS), who have set out to raise awareness since 2014, and provide funding for the families of the unsung black women who lost their lives.
Founder of the AAPF, Dr. Kimberley Crenshaw, gave a statement saying that: “We are honored that Ms. Monáe and so many artists have lent their voices to reverse what we’ve called the ‘loss of the loss.'”
Popular superstars Alicia Keys, Beyonce, Chloe and Halle, Zoe Kravitz and a host of other influential figures have all contributed vocally, alongside Monae for the monumental production.
The names of the victims who were gut-wrenchingly sung out on the track are: Rekia Boyd, Latasha Nicole Walton, Atatiana Jefferson, Kendra James, Priscilla Slater, Yuvette Henderson, Renee Davis, Kyam Livingston, Cynthia Fields, Kindra Chapman, India Kager, Shelly Frey, LaJuana Phillips, Kisha Michael, Dannette Daniels, Crystal Ragland, Pamela Turner, Latandra Ellington, Crystalline Barnes, Korryn Gaines, Michelle Cusseaux, India Cummings, Sandra Bland, Symone Marshall, Yvette Smith, Margaret Mitchell, Mya Hall, Tyisha Miller, Alesia Thomas, Kayla Moore, Alberta Spruill, Breonna Taylor, Aiyana Stanley-Jones, Nizah Morris, LaTanya Haggerty, Layleen Polanco, Shereese Francis, Sheneque Proctor, April Webster, Kathryn Johnston, Michelle Shirley, India Beaty, Tanisha Anderson, Sandy Guardiola, Shukri Ali Said, Duanna Johnson, Eleanor Bumpurs, Jessica Williams, Sarah Riggins, Charleena Lyles, Sharmel Edwards, Deborah Danner, Joyce Curnell, Natasha McKenna, Darnesha Harris, Pearlie Golden, Miriam Carey and Tarika Wilson.
