NBWJI Statement on Verdict in Derek Chauvin Case

With today's verdict in the case of Derek Chauvin, we are thinking about George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and the many untold number of Black men and women who have been senselessly targeted, harassed, hurt, and murdered by the police for years. For decades. For centuries.

Today’s accountability for one police officer is a small step in the right direction. And it only comes after tireless and endless demands for justice and real change and in spite of a system designed to disregard and devalue Black lives.

But to achieve justice—real justice—we must dismantle the racist and sexist US criminal-legal system that denies Black women and men access to safety, well-being, economic stability, and life.

And in its place, we must build pathways to opportunity and healing for those who have been neglected and harmed for so long.

Ultimately, we must strive to create a society that respects, values, and honors the humanity of Black women and men, takes accountability for the harm it has inflicted, and recognizes that justice is healing.

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About the National Black Women’s Justice Institute

The National Black Women’s Justice Institute's mission is to research, elevate, and educate the public about innovative, community-driven solutions to address the criminalization of Black women and girls. We aim to dismantle the racist and sexist US criminal-legal system and build, in its place, pathways to opportunity and healing. We envision a society that respects, values, and honors the humanity of Black women and girls, takes accountability for the harm it has inflicted, and recognizes that justice is healing.