Press Release: National Black Women’s Justice Institute Statement on Anjanette Young

The National Black Women’s Justice Institute released the following statement on Anjanette Young, a Black woman in Chicago, who was forced to stand naked in her living room while the police wrongfully raided her home:

“I am outraged by recent reports of police misconduct against Ms. Anjanette Young,” says National Black Women’s Justice Institute Executive Director, Dr. Sydney McKinney. “This incident shows how the convergence of racial bias and gender bias makes Black women and men's interactions with police uniquely different. Those officers violated not just Ms. Young’s home but also her body as she stood handcuffed, exposed, and unable to escape their gaze. In any other context, the traumatic events experienced by Ms. Young would constitute gender-based violence. Yet, in the context of policing, their actions are described as insensitive and humiliating. We must widen our lens to see the harm that Ms. Anjanette Young experienced as both a racial justice issue and a gender justice issue.”

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About the National Black Women’s Justice Institute

The National Black Women’s Justice Institute (NBWJI) is a leading research, training, and technical assistance provider to public agencies, institutions, and foundations on countering the criminalization of Black women, girls, and gender non-conforming people. NBWJI works to reduce racial and gender disparities across the justice continuum affecting Black women, girls, gender non-conforming people, and their families, by conducting research, providing technical assistance, engaging in public education, promoting civic engagement, and advocating for informed and effective policies. We conduct research, evaluation, and technical assistance from an intersectional lens that centers race/ethnicity and gender as well as gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation/identity for participants, staff, and partners organizations/individuals.