To our 19th community:
We know these are exceedingly difficult times for our readers, our colleagues, our neighbors and our families. One of our primary motivations in launching The 19th is to elevate the voices of women of color in our coverage, to help level the playing field and advance equity in a nation that has been unequal since its founding. The 19th is committed to a more just and equal society and democracy — and to asking tough questions about race and privilege in our reporting and in our newsroom.
What story ideas and questions should we be exploring? We’re listening.
—Emily Ramshaw and Amanda Zamora, co-founders, The 19th
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Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms at the Atlanta Press Club luncheon in July 2019.
(Andrea Smith/AP Photo)
LEADING THE WAY
In the week since a police officer killed George Floyd in Minneapolis, protests against police brutality have erupted across the nation. In what our Editor-at-Large Errin Haines calls a “pandemic within a pandemic,” black women have stepped into critical leadership roles.
The Black Lives Matter movement began with a hashtag in 2013. Now, chapters across the country are organizing protests.
- Black Lives Matter’s founders — Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi — saw that women and queer and transgender people were often left out of social justice movements, something they say they’ve actively addressed.
- As protests began after George Floyd’s death, Black Lives Matter has also centered the story of Breonna Taylor, a Louisville woman fatally shot by police in her apartment. Taylor’s death initially received little media attention — partially because of the pandemic, but also because of gender bias, her family’s lawyer told The 19th.
With little national leadership, mayors have assumed a critical role in managing their cities through protests and a pandemic.
- Atlanta’s Keisha Lance Bottoms was praised by Joe Biden for her “incredible” leadership during the protests. As violence broke out in Atlanta Friday night, Bottoms pleaded with protesters to go home, speaking as a mother of four black children. She also fired two officers for excessive use of force against protesters. Critics, however, said the city needed to do more to address the underlying social issues.
- As the Associated Press noted, mayors like Bottoms and Chicago’s Lori Lightfoot have often drawn on personal experiences of being black in America.
- There are seven black women mayors in the 100 most populous U.S. cities. In 2014, there was only one.
As the country watches the police response to the civil unrest, U.S. Rep. Val Demings had a message for her “brothers and sisters in blue,” asking: “What the hell are you doing?”
- Demings, who previously served as the first woman police chief in Orlando, strongly and plainly condemned police violence in an op-ed for the Washington Post. During Demings’ tenure, the Orlando Police Department was criticized for excessive use of force.
- “In Minnesota, we have no choice but to hold the officers accountable through the criminal-justice system,” she wrote. “But we cannot only be reactive. We must be proactive. We must work with law enforcement agencies to identify problems before they happen.”
- Like Bottoms, Demings’ statements have prompted veepstakes chatter. Both of them were already reportedly on the shortlist.
— Abby Johnston
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LOOKING FOR ANSWERS
The lifetime chance for women to develop Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia after age 45 is 1 in 5. For men, it is 1 in 10.
A new report from the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement and AARP explores why women make up two-thirds of Alzheimer’s patients. In a 10-year plan, it calls for more research focusing specifically on women and minorities, who are also disproportionately affected by the disease.
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 What we're reading
‘Men don’t think we’re strong enough’: Somali women push into fish industry. Women are attempting to break into the lucrative male-dominated fishing sector in Somalia — but not without sexist backlash. (The Guardian, June 1)
5 economists redefining...everything. Oh yes, and they’re women. Key lessons from five women economists who are questioning long-held concepts. (Forbes, May 31)
As states reopen, medical experts recommend pregnant women stay vigilant against COVID-19. A new study gives pregnant COVID-19 patients cause for concern, but there is still far more research that needs to be done. (USA Today, May 30)
‘He could have been my brother’: Women’s voices during the protests. Women protesting in New York City share their stories. “I get more angry every time I shout their names. He could have been my brother, or father. He was somebody’s father and son and brother.” (The New York Times, June 2)
📺 Watch: The new HBO Max documentary “On the Record” puts a spotlight on the women who claim they were sexually assaulted by hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons. Simmons, who has been accused by 20 women of sexual assault or misconduct, has denied all of the allegations.
🎧 Listen: Errin Haines, our editor-at-large, went on WBUR’s On Point to discuss the history of racism and policing in the United states.
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