Tyre Nichols

A human being. A Black man. A son. A father. A friend. A skateboarder. An amateur photographer. A victim of police brutality murdered at only 29 years old. We say again, a HUMAN BEING.

We say his name to give him the respect and dignity he deserved; two things the Memphis police officers that murdered him in early January withheld from him. The violent assault on Mr. Nichols is nothing new. The reality for many Black people is that they have come to expect violence at the hands of police officers because of a culture of aggressive policing that has existed since the initiation of the police force.

We empathize with the grief of Mr. Nichols’s family and the entire Black community. We stand with those who demand real change and protest a system that does not provide justice for all. We dream of a community that is strengthened by the uplifting of ALL its citizens.