Earlier this week, Tina Knowles-Lawson and Breonna Taylor’s mother Tamika Palmer sat down for an interview in which they spoke candidly about systematic racism.
During their virtual appearance on “CBS This Morning,” Palmer shared how she felt about the termination of former cop Brett Hankison, who was fired for his involvement in her daughter’s death.
“I’m happy to hear that he was fired. He should’ve been fired. It’s just the beginning though. It’s so much more to go. There’s so many other people involved,” she said before adding that the creation of Breonna’s Law is not enough. “It’s not enough. It’s a start for other families…It’ll be great for other people. Somebody still has to answer for what happened to Breonna, though.”
While sharing a similar sentiment, Beyoncé’s mother spoke about the power of everyone’s voices in today’s climate. She added that it’s important to keep everyone educated on the issues in America.
“I tell them to start with themselves and to look in the mirror,” she said when asked about fighting systematic racism. “And to see what part you played, whether you are a Black middle class person who has gotten out of touch with what’s happening in the world and, you know, you can be so critical and so judgmental of people who are having a hard time and they need a break.”
She added, “If somebody says that they haven’t seen one of those videos or they don’t know what’s going on, they are not being honest. And so I tell them to start with themselves and I’m starting with myself because I want to make sure that I’m doing everything I can and not just talking the talk but that I’m walking the walk.”
On Friday (June 26), REVOLT reported that Hankison, who was among the group of officers that entered Taylor’s home under a no-knock warrant for a drug raid, is appealing his termination. Attorney David Leightty explained that his client was let go before the investigation was completed.