Today's our third wedding anniversary.

I don't know what I'd do without my wife. And honestly, weeks like these make me even more afraid for her safety.

But weeks like these also remind me how much we center Black men when we talk about police violence.

We have to change that.

As Kimberlé Crenshaw ( @sandylocks) explains perfectly:

"Although black women are routinely killed, raped, and beaten by the police, their experiences are rarely foregrounded in popular understandings of police brutality." https://gender.stanford.edu/news-publications/gender-news/kimberl-crenshaw-delivers-exceptional-jing-lyman-lecture

( @sandylocks, cont.) "Yet, inclusion of black women’s experiences in social movements, media narratives, and policy demands around policing and police brutality is critical to effectively combating racialized state violence for black communities and other communities of color."

We have to speak out—loudly and consistently—about police violence against Black people.

But we can't sideline Black women in our narrative.

And as Black men who are centered in this conversation, we have a unique responsibility to make sure Black women are seen in this space.

When Black men like George Floyd die needlessly and viciously at the hands of police, and when Black men like Christian Cooper have their whole lives threatened by annoyed white people, we need to speak out and raise hell to make sure people are held accountable. Period.

But...

We need to keep the same energy we have for George Floyd and Christian Cooper when we also hear about Breonna Taylor and Atatiana Jefferson.

The energy we had for Michael Brown... we should have had the exact same energy for Michelle Cusseaux.

Black women are the best and the strongest among us.

They're also the most neglected and the most disrespected among us.

It doesn't have to be that way.

But things will only start to change when we 1) understand this problem, and 2) speak out about it.

I'll just end by saying how grateful I am for a wife who challenges me and expands my thinking on these issues, and refuses to shrink just to make me comfortable.

@noremorse8, you're exactly what I need in my life. And I love you.

Happy anniversary.