https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JyxyKl9gXE
Above is video of Diamond Reynolds in an interview that took place Thursday Afternoon in front of the Governor’s mansion in Saint Paul, MN.
Many people have noted Ms. Reynolds’ demeanor both during the live footage of her boyfriend being murdered by police right beside her, as well as during this interview. Jim Hopper, a psychology instructor at Harvard Medical School, says that her demeanor is consistent with what is called a “dissociative state.”
Danielle Paquette of The Washington Post, posed the question; “Was it psychological shock or the well-practiced behavior of a black woman who feared law enforcement?”
Monnica Williams, Director of the Center for Mental Health Disparities at the University of Louisville, and also a Brain Science Professor who studies racial trauma, was quoted as stating that “A fear of police might have informed Reynolds’s behavior.” She went on to say that, “black children often grow up hearing about police mistreating black people.”
“This becomes something that you might even expect,” Williams said. “All you have to do is turn on the television and see another black man has been shot.” Projecting composure, for some, might be a premeditated survival strategy. “Being able to stay calm in a crisis — you preserve your life and protect your loved ones,” she said.
I believe the answer is all of the above. However, I believe that more simply put, Ms. Reynolds is an embodiment and clear example of exactly what black women are built and conditioned to do no matter the severity of her circumstance; be strong, fight and survive.
#CallToAction
