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Marjorie Taylor Greene Say Her Name Laken Riley Shirt – The story behind MTG’s shirt at State of the Union, and the slogan it appropriated

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Marjorie Taylor Greene Say Her Name Laken Riley Shirt The story behind MTG's shirt at State of the Union, and the slogan it appropriated
08
Mar

State of the Union Address: Political Statements and Advocacy

During the State of the Union address, President Joe Biden spoke to a joint session of Congress, an event that was utilized by Republican House members for their own purposes. Marjorie Taylor-Greene, a representative from Georgia, donned a shirt emblazoned with “Say Her Name Laken Riley” and a pin featuring Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student who was tragically killed by an individual who, according to federal authorities, had entered the country without proper authorization.

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Marjorie Taylor Greene say her name laken riley shirt 6 1
Marjorie Taylor Greene say her name laken riley shirt

The phrase on Greene’s shirt is a known slogan of the Black Lives Matter movement, typically used to bring attention to women who have lost their lives at the hands of law enforcement. During his address, Biden acknowledged Riley’s family and used their story to advocate for a bipartisan border deal that had recently been passed by the Senate. “We can argue about fixing the border, or we can actually fix it,” Biden declared, expressing his readiness to take action.

Meanwhile, Representative Troy Nehls of Texas, known for being one of former President Donald Trump’s most vocal supporters on Capitol Hill, wore a T-shirt displaying Trump’s booking photo with the words “NEVER SURRENDER”, paired with a bowtie featuring an American flag design. It’s worth noting that Greene has a history of political theatrics during the State of the Union, having previously heckled President Biden during his 2023 speech.

The roots of “Say Her Name”

The powerful call to action, “Say Her Name,” became a rallying cry for social justice in the wake of high-profile cases like Sandra Bland and Michelle Cusseaux. Bland was tragically found dead in her Texas jail cell in 2015, while 50-year-old Cusseaux died that same year at the hands of Phoenix police.

Kimberlé Crenshaw, a legal scholar and activist, recognized a crucial gap in the conversation. “For too long,” Crenshaw, co-founder of the African American Policy Forum (AAPF) and the #SayHerName campaign, told USA Today in 2021, “Black girls as young as seven and Black women in their nineties were being killed by police, but their stories were silenced. Anti-Black racism manifests differently for women, and highlighting this is critical to expose the full picture. Black women and girls deserve to be seen and protected from police brutality.”

While the movement gained traction after these early cases, the 2020 killing of Breonna Taylor thrust “Say Her Name” into the national spotlight.

University Student’s Death Investigated

Laken Riley, a student at Augusta University, was reported missing in February after her roommate noticed she hadn’t returned from a morning run in a wooded area near the University of Georgia campus. Sadly, Riley was later found deceased in the same area.

Authorities arrested Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, on charges of murder and assault. Investigations revealed Ibarra entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and had a prior arrest.

This heartbreaking incident has sparked a focus on student safety and security, particularly in areas surrounding universities.

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