Porsha Williams, Wendy Osefo, and Elaine Welteroth Pledge to Continue to Fight for Breonna Taylor
Following the news that none of the officers involved in Breonna Taylor's death were charged with her killing, supporters are continuing to fight for justice.
Fired Louisville police officer Brett Hankinson, who was involved in the death of Breonna Taylor, was charged with first-degree wanton endangerment on Wednesday, September 22. The two other involved officers, Detective Myles Cosgrove and Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, have not been fired or charged with anything regarding Taylor's death. Activists and supporters of Taylor are speaking out against the injustice as protests continue to grow.
Porsha Williams reacted to the decision in an Instagram post, writing, “You deserved so much more Breonna Taylor! I am praying for your mother Tamika and the rest of your family today. As hard as this verdict is for us to digest, I can’t imagine how she must feel. Shame on America’s racist justice system. Will I be next? This has to change!”
The Real Housewives of Atlanta cast member then shared an image of herself protesting to her Instagram Story, writing, “I won’t stop! We won’t stop! Breonna Taylor mattered!” She also added the hashtags, “No justice, no peace,” and “Say her name.”
Porsha also penned an essay for PEOPLE, explaining how she is planning to continue to fight against systemic racism.
“As much as this delay upsets us, we have to be patient. We haven’t just been waiting for justice for six months — we’ve been waiting for centuries. It’s not only for Breonna Taylor, it’s also for the countless others who have been victims of police brutality,” she wrote. “Right now, we are the voice of the voiceless — past, present and future.”
The Real Housewives of Potomac cast member Wendy Osefo also shared her pledge to continue the fight for justice. She shared a photo of herself with Taylor’s mother, writing, “When I met the mother of Breonna Taylor I told her we would continue to seek justice on behalf of her daughter. Now more than ever, my promise remains.”
Elaine Welteroth shared a beautiful tribute to Taylor, including some of the personal details her loved ones have shared in her honor.
“Breonna liked to write down her goals on sticky notes that she posted on the walls of her home. This was going to be HER year. Breonna had plans to buy a home, to get engaged, to have a baby, to get matching motorcycles with her mom. She had just bought herself a new car, a 2019 Dodge Charger (her mom says it was her baby). Breonna was an essential worker—she worked to sustain lives she was an EMT and she worked in the ER. Her dream was to become a nurse,” wrote the Project Runway judgde. “Breonna was an old soul (like me); she loved to sing the Blues with her grandma. Her mom called her the glue of their family: ‘She don’t care what is happening, she is going to make sure we get together and have a game night or have a cookout or have something.’”
“Breonna is not a meme, or a headline, or a hashtag…she was someone’s daughter, grand-baby, friend and future fiancée,” Elaine continued. “Her humanity is our humanity. Her justice is our justice. That’s why today’s rulings feel like a gut punch. And the collective trauma fatigue is only heightening by the day. To equate her murder with a petty crime exacerbates why Black Lives Matter is our rallying cry and why it will continue until the pain stops. Action items to come soon. But today, I choose to celebrate Breonna—no matter what despair may say. I choose to lift up her humanity. To show her face and tell her story. Because even if it was hard to believe in better, with history as our teacher—she deserved so much better than this.”
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