As the nation continues to mourn Tyre Nichols, Black lawmakers are using the State of the Union on Tuesday to highlight the reality of police violence by inviting victims and their families to attend.
Suggested Reading
Among those who will be present tonight will be Milwaukee Bucks player Sterling Brown. In 2018, Brown was beaten and tased by police officers over a parking violation. The horrific incident drove home the point that regardless of someoneโs wealth or social status, police brutality is an ever-present threat to Black Americans.
Brown eventually won $750,000 from the city of Milwaukee. However, he refused the settlement, arguing that officers must be held accountable.
Wisconsin Congresswoman Gwen Moore, who represents Milwaukee, said it was essential to bring Brown because his story spoke to their community.
โItโs a miracle that he walked away,โ said Moore, referencing Black Americans whoโd been killed during traffic stops. โI invited him so that I can keep people in the community in the fight.โ
When Brown received the invitation from Moore, he says he knew he had to be there to support the families whoโve lost loved ones to police violence and the activists pushing for change on the ground.
โIt was important to support everything thatโs going on, especially the families [whoโve lost loved ones],โ says Brown. โand also, for the George Floyd Act, which is key to helping make progress.โ
Invitations to the State of The Union have often been used to send a message about the most significant issues facing our nation, and tonight is no different. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus have invited more than a dozen Black families of people killed or brutalized by police to the State of the Union.
The families of George Floyd, Eric Garner, Walter Scott, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, and Ronald Greene are expected to be among those in attendance. First Lady Jill Biden also invited the family of Tyre Nichols, the Memphis man who was brutally beaten to death by police officers in early January.
Brown said he especially wanted to be there for the mother of Tamir Rice.โThere are no words to explain why a 12-year-old should have been killed. And thereโs still no conviction in his case,โ he says, adding that itโs essential to lift up all of the families in attendance tonight.
Moore is hoping for more than just a gesture from the White House in President Joe Bidenโs speech.
โTonight we, the Congressional Black Caucus, want to make sure that the President didnโt just brag about his accomplishments and forget the most urgent issue in communities of color,โ says Moore. โPolicing, that is costing lives.โ
Brown says that he wants to send a message to keep fighting. โItโs going to take us all... to keep making advancements and strides,โ says Brown.
For folks who want to watch Bidenโs second State of the Union address tonight, the program will be broadcast live at 9 pm ET. on all major news networks, and you can check it out on the White Houseโs Live stream online.
Straight From
Sign up for our free daily newsletter.