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Breonna Taylor

Breonna Taylor [June 5,1993-March 13, 2020] was an unarmed Black woman who was shot and killed in her Louisville, Kentucky home by three white police officers who entered under the auspices of a "no-knock" search warrant. None of the officers were charged with her murder.

Originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Taylor worked as an on call Emergency Room Technician and first responder in the local area at the time of her death. Her controversial death followed the murder of Ahmaud Arbery (February 23, 2020) and preceded the killing of George Floyd (May 25, 2020). All three deaths spurred an outpouring of protests and became a rallying cry for the Black Lives Matter movement in summer 2020. Supporters adopted the motto #SayHerName in Taylor's memory and to bring attention to Black women who are killed by police officers.

Early Life and Childhood

Taylor was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on June 5,1993 to Tamika Palmer and Everette "Skeeter" Taylor. In 2008, she moved to Louisville, Kentucky with her mother and younger sister, Ju'Niyah. Taylor attended Western High School, where she was an honor roll student who enjoyed mathematics. Her teachers described her as a natural leader, who also was compassionate toward others. Breonna held a variety of jobs during high school, including work at a local Steak ‘n Shake restaurant. 

Adult Life

In 2011,Taylor attended the University of Kentucky (Lexington) as a first-generation college student and returned to Louisville after one year.  According to her mother, Tamika, Breonna turned her focus on working to improve her credit score and also buying a car and eventually a home. Taylor worked as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) until 2016, and was working as a PRN at Norton Hospital and as a Emergency Room Technician at UofL Health (Jewish Hospital) in 2020. She was regarded as an essential worker during the COVID-19 epidemic. Taylor aspired to be a neonatal nurse, and planned to enroll at Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana in fall 2020.

Death

On the evening of March 12, 2020, Taylor invited her aunt, 38 year old Bianca Austin, out for drinks.  Austin, a nursing student at the time, declined.  Breonna and her boyfriend Kenneth "Kenny" Walker III stayed home and watched movies instead. After midnight, three plain clothes Louisville Metro police officers used a battering ram to enter Taylor's apartment in search of a suspect wanted for drug trafficking. They were investigating a man, Jamarcus Glover, that Taylor had previously dated. Taylor and Walker were in bed at the time. Believing that they were being robbed, Walker, a licensed gun-owner, fired his gun at the officers, striking one of them, Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, in the leg. The officers returned fire--32 shots total--striking Taylor several times, though she was unarmed. One of the bullets was fatal, and Taylor's body was found in the hallway. No drugs were ever found in the apartment.

The police say that they announced themselves prior to entering; Walker disputes their claim.  The officers were never charged; however, detectives Joshua Jaynes, Myles Cosgrove and Brett Hankison were all fired following an investigation. Hankinson ultimately was charged by the state with "wanton endangerment" and was found not guilty.

Tamika Palmer and the Taylor family filed a wrongful death lawsuit and received a $12 million dollar settlement in September 2020. In April 2021, Governor Andy Beshear signed Senate Bill 4 aka "Breonna Law," which limits the "no knock" policy statewide.

See Killing of Breonna Taylor

Legacy

Legislation

On June 11, 2020, the Louisville Metro Council banned no-knock search warrants; and by February 2022, other cities and states implemented similar restrictions. Oregon, Connecticut, Virginia and Florida all banned the policy within their respective borders.

Professional sports

In order to bring attention to social justice and the Black Lives Matter movement, the shortened and delayed 2020 WNBA season was dedicated to Taylor, as well as to other Black women slain by police officers, such as Sandra Bland. During the July season opener in New York City, players for the New York Liberty and Seattle Storm wore jerseys bearing Breonna Taylor's name on the back and then observed 26 seconds of silence--in recognition of Taylor's age. Meanwhile during the fall 2020 playoffs, NBA player Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets wore a custom-designed pair of Adidas sneakers featuring images of Taylor and George Floyd. "I use these shoes as a symbol to me to keep fighting. … They give me a lot of power," Murray told reporters after scoring 50 points during a September game.

University of Kentucky

In summer 2020, A group of students at the University of Kentucky, including senior Khari Gardner from Baltimore, formed the Movement for Black Lives, a student organization. The group sent a list of demands to campus leadership including renaming a closed residence hall--the Kirwan-Blanding Residence Hall Complex and Dining Commons--after Breonna Taylor. In September 2020, Eli Capilout, president of the University of Kentucky, charged the UK community to address "systemic racism." A month later, the University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law hosted a day-long symposium about Breonna Taylor. The five panels featured a number of legal experts and attorneys, including Sam Aguiar and Lonita Baker, lawyers representing the Taylor family. And in November 2020, the University of Kentucky College of Education hosted "Navigating Your Teens in Breonna Taylor’s America," an online discussion aimed at youth leaders.

In summer 2020, College students nationally organized social justice protests following the death of Breonna Taylor.

Campus movements

In response to the deaths of Taylor and George Floyd, Black college students nationally organized protests and demanded better support on their campuses. Students at the University of California at Santa Barbara, for instance, demanded services and clinicians specifically for Black students; and in 2023, the campus partnered with the Santa Barbara Unified School District to open a physical space used to address racial trauma.

Support for the formerly incarcerated

One of Taylor's sisters, De'Andrea, known as Dee Dee, founded Taylor-Made, a non-profit organization in Michigan, to support the formerly incarcerated of any gender.

Personal

Known by family and friends as "Bre," Breeway," and "Breezy," Taylor was born to Tamika Palmer and Everette Taylor. The pair never married and had a casual relationship when Breonna was conceived. She also was the eldest grandchild in the Palmer family.

Taylor’s parents attended the same high school in Michigan. Tamika learned that she was pregnant with Breonna when she was 16 years old and raised her as a single parent.  By age 19, Everette Taylor fathered six children (Breonna is his fourth) with other women. In 1998, he was sentenced to at least 45 years in prison for second-degree murder. Breonna was five years old at the time.

After completing high school, Palmer worked full-time as a nurse’s aide caring for the elderly.  In 2020, she worked as a dialysis technician. Taylor’s maternal grandmother, Juanita Palmer, also worked as a nurse’s aide, and her maternal grandfather worked for the Chrysler auto company in Grand Rapids, Michigan until retirement. Taylor's aunts also worked in healthcare.

Taylor met Kenneth Walker while she was in high school. Intending to propose to Breonna, Walker purchased an engagement ring, which his mother held for safekeeping.

At the time of her death in 2020, Taylor shared an apartment in south end Louisville with her sister, Ju'Niyah Palmer. Palmer, who was six years younger than Breonna, regarded her older sister as a "second mom." Breonna's other siblings fathered by Everette Taylor include: Asia, Ateaonia, De'Andrea ("Dee Dee"), Everette III, and Shantelle. (Ateaonia was born only two days after Breonna on June 7th in the same hospital) Her sister Dee Dee is a graduate of Central Michigan University.

Breonna had a fondness for cars and was a proud owner of a 2019 Dodge Charger.