Alliance for Women in Media Statement on the Homicide of George Floyd
By: Keisha Sutton-James, Chair, Alliance for Women in Media
The recent brutal murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, combined with a global health pandemic that has had a disproportionate effect on communities of color, have laid bare the injustices and inequalities that continues to exist in America to this day. Media outlets have offered around the clock coverage of this tragic moment in our country’s history, and of the massive protests that have gripped our nation.
On behalf of our leadership across the United States and Canada, the Alliance for Women in Media supports the human rights of all Americans, including Black Americans. Black lives do matter. As a Black woman whose grandfather, Percy Sutton, was a Freedom Rider, politician and activist before moving into media in order to effect change through the use of media, I have always been keenly aware of this fact. And now, this moment – a health crisis and the senseless murders of innocent people – has served to remind us as a nation of this fact.
We, the media, are the storytellers – whether through scripted or journalistic work. We tell the stories of our humanity – trauma and triumph, denial and victory, betrayal and reconciliation. We, the Alliance for Women in Media, stand with the protestors who are peacefully marching our country toward its founding ideals. We stand with the storytellers, journalists, producers and directors and particularly the women in these roles, who are sharing the truth of this moment for the world to see. We applaud the bravery and tenacity displayed, some at the risk of their own safety.
The AWM will continue to recognize and celebrate the women who are frontline journalists and storytellers, women behind the cameras and microphones, and the true protagonists in our nation’s story: those who are leading our nation to its higher self. We thank you for all that you do.
Keisha Sutton-James
Founder, Sutton Button Productions, LLC
Chair, Alliance for Women in Media
Please allow us to highlight a few of the important, ongoing conversations on this topic through pieces that reflect the work and voices of some of our Gracies honorees in radio, television and digital media.
- Angela Yee and the Breakfast Club Conversation with Rush Limbaugh
- Great Big Story
- Gayle King interviews TD Jakes
Get informed – get involved. Read. Learn. Connect. Talk. Get involved locally or nationally. Here are a few resources to help get you started: