By Philip Lewis
INDIANAPOLIS, IN — Shariah Miller, great-granddaughter of Tribune Publisher, Rosetta Miller-Perry, plans to become a civil rights lawyer so she can fight for equality and justice like her great-grandmother and other Black women protesting for change. Hailing from Indianapolis, she is an avid social media user who cares about activism, body acceptance and Black beauty.
“Yes, I’m only 17, but I’m tired. Not only is the pandemic taking up so much of my teenage years, but I’ve been bombarded with images of police brutality since the summer of 2020. I watched on social media as hundreds of thousands of people flooded America’s streets, marching for George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. However, I was disappointed in what I saw. I felt less encouraged to fight against systemic injustice because it was very clear that as time went on, it took much longer for Breonna Taylor to become a headline than it did for George Floyd, and for her case to get recognized. It kind of just made me feel that as hard as it is for Black men to get justice from suffering police brutality, it’s even harder for Black women,” said Miller.
“It can be so hard for Black women to be seen and heard due to misogynoir — heavy racism and misogyny and how these concepts collide. Most of the time, it’s usually only us advocating for ourselves. That’s why I want to be a civil rights lawyer to help combat systemic injustice and join other Black women on the front lines at protests against police violence. I also get a lot of inspiration from Black social activists online who have helped me shape my voice. Seeing people on TikTok and other social media platforms not being afraid to talk about social injustice has encouraged me to speak out. But I also am very mindful about organizations that don’t truly care about the communities they say they serve,” Miller added.
