This Black History Month, remember the story of Sandra Bland. In 2015, 28-year-old Sandra Bland was stopped by police for failure to use her turn signal in Waller County, Texas. The situation between the officer and herself escalated to the point of Bland’s arrest. Three days later, Sandra Bland was found deceased in the county jail under suspicious circumstances. News of her death caused national outrage, persistent media coverage and an investigation that eventually resulted in the termination of the arresting officer, although that will never compensate for a life.
Bland was an outspoken Black Lives Matter activist herself. She was from Naperville, Illinois, and she attended Prairie View A&M University in Texas, where she was a member of the Sigma Gamma Rho sorority. She graduated in 2009 with a degree in agriculture. In October 2018, Sigma Gamma Rho, Inc. posted to their official Facebook, “Even in Bland’s death, she has managed to become a prominent voice against institutional injustices aimed towards Black people in America.” In 2016, Bland’s mother Geneva Reed-Veal was inducted into her late daughter’s sorority, “To finish out Sandy’s legacy,” she told Essence, “She loved kids and education, and now I can be an extended arm of that.”
On Feb. 18 at 7:22 p.m. in Apartment 6 MMR, the Sigma Tau Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho at Saint Leo University will show the HBO documentary “Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland” to make her story known and keep her spirit alive. The documentary follows Bland’s family on their journey in attempting to learn the facts of their loved one’s mysterious death while reminding us all to #SayHerName. This event will be open to everyone.
