‘Black Women Are Not Safe’: Solange Knowles Speaks On Sonya Massey Murder

Solange Knowles and Sonya Massey || Image credit: @solangeknowles @Illinois State Police

Following the recent death of Sonya Massey, Solange Knowles is using her platform to speak out against violence targeted at black women.

Sonya Massey, a 35-year-old mother of two, was brutally murdered in an incident that has left her community stunned and mourning. Details of the case reveal a harrowing scenario that has fueled calls for justice and systemic change.

Massey was fatally injured by law enforcement after calling 911 for assistance earlier this month in Springfield, Illinois.

Illinois State Police released bodycam video of Sonya Massey’s fatal shooting on Monday afternoon, depicting a chaotic scene after a sheriff’s deputy shot Massey in the face during a tense moment over a pot of water at her home.

Authorities said Massey, who is Black, called 911 in the early morning hours of Saturday, July 6, to report a suspected prowler outside her house near Springfield, Illinois.

After viewing the brutal bodycam footage released this week, Solange chastised America for its historical treatment of Black women, calling out the responding officer’s disbelief that Sonya had requested not to be hurt from the start when they arrived.

Sonya’s plea, however, resulted in her death on her kitchen floor with a bullet in her head, and Solange claims that words do not carry the same weight for Black women as they do for others.

“First words Sonya Massey said at her front door were, ‘Don’t hurt me.’ She was told, ‘Why would we hurt you? You called us.’ When have those words meant anything when you’re black and woman in this country. When do those words protect you from not being murdered in your kitchen, in your bedroom, with your babies, or on your lawn? What is ‘reassurance’ in this place?” Knowles shared on X.

She continued, “Rest in power, Sonya Massey, and an abundance of love and power to Sonya’s family on this journey.”

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