Thousands of radio stations across the country on Thursday will pause their normal programming to mark five months since the death of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman fatally shot by Louisville, Ky., Police officers in her apartment.
The broadcast event will be coordinated by Louisville radio station 97.1 FM WXOX and the Taylor family, said a message posted on the station’s website. At 2 p.m. EDT, stations will pause their broadcasts “to hear one of Breonna’s favorite songs and a message from her family,” the station said.
Sharon Scott, the station’s general manager, said in an email to The Hill that it would honor the song “Everything” by Mary J. Blige. The song will then be followed by a reading of names representing female victims of police violence, which will be accompanied by sounds from Louisville protests.
Scott said the broadcast event will represent the third time this year that a band of stations has interrupted their programming to recognize victims of police brutality.
A group of stations stopped for 8 minutes and 46 seconds in June to honor George Floyd, a Black man who was killed after a Minneapolis police officer nodded for about nine minutes.
“On this day, we will pause our broadcast to recognize the women who were stolen from their families and families too soon,” WXOX said on its website. “Together, we will lead the lives of these unique individuals – recognize the pain their loss has caused their communities and use our voices to demand the justice they deserve.”
Taylor, a certified EMT, was shot and killed on March 13 after three plainclothes officers entered her apartment while conducting a no-knock search. Police say they beat and pronounced their presence, although those claims have been disputed.
Kenneth Walker, Taylor’s friend, was in the apartment at the time and said he fired his firearm at officers after they did not reveal who they were. Officers returned more than 20 shots, eight of which struck Taylor.
Demonstrations took place in the city months after the deaths, with protesters demanding that the officers involved face criminal charges.
Taylor’s death also received heightened national attention following Floyd’s death on May 25.
—Updated at 5:02 p.m.
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