First Responder and hero EMT, Breonna Taylor was only 26 years old when the Louisville Police executed a, now illegal, no-knock warrant spurred largely by incompetence and erroneous information.
Earlier this year, Ms. Taylor was shot and killed by police — with eight bullets — while lying in bed, in actions financed by the tax dollars of her family and other Louisville residents.
Ms. Taylor — whom the world now knows as Breonna — was doing all the right things when her life was tragically taken. She worked as an emergency medical technician, providing care for the sick and injured, an especially risky and challenging job during the coronavirus pandemic. Her mom, Tamika Palmer, said Breonna was making plans to become a nurse and marry her boyfriend.
Breonna’s life and death has shone a light on longstanding injustices in the criminal justice system and spurred change. But her story also embodies the story and experiences of many African American women, including Sandra Bland and Atatiana Jefferson, who often times are overlooked, marginalized and treated as second-class citizens. That is why we are inviting all persons of conscious to sign this petition, urging TIME, Incorporated to make Breonna its 2020 Person of the Year. 
It was shortly after midnight on March 13, when police entered Breonna’s home by breaking down the door. She and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, were sleeping, but were startled and awakened by what they thought (or anyone else would have thought) was a home invasion. Mr. Walker said he yelled, “who is it,” a few times, but no one responded, so he fired his licensed weapon once in self defense, wounding an officer. Officers fired more than 20 shots in response. We know the rest.

Breonna’s death was the catalyst for “Breonna’s Law”, passed by the City of Louisville on June 11. The law bans the kind of no-knock warrant that was used by police against Breonna. Her death and its aftermath have spurred a national debate regarding the use of no-knock warrants.
Breonna and her boyfriend were not the subject of that botched drug raid. In a tragic twist, the suspect police were seeking had been taken into custody prior to the raid on Breonna’s home. Instead of coming clean about what happened, police issued an erroneous incident report (nearly blank on details) that listed Breonna’s injuries as, “none.” It also indicated police had not forced their way into the apartment, though they used a battering ram to break down the door.
There are many who are seeking justice for Breonna and her family. We stand with them. We also want the world to know Breonna’s story. Our intention is to communicate to the world that all of America is serious about strengthening support for Black women; serious about repairing the road of damage done to Black families. That must be in the forefront of American consciousness.

By signing this petition, you are joining with the Antiracism Collective in urging Time magazine to name Breonna Taylor “Person of the Year” for 2020.

Louisville City Council Member Barbara Sexton Smith, who was instrumental in passing “Breonna’s Law,” said it best: “(Breonna) will be celebrated in death more than she was in life and that is when you know your purpose on this Earth was well-planned and you know your legacy will live on.”
Let’s help Breonna’s legacy live on. Please sign the petition.