Today’s History Story — They Exploited A Black Child For Copaganda

Social media posts showing police officers posing with Black protestors or hugging young Black kids who appear openly afraid are promoted, often by police departments themselves, to show their officers in a positive light. This is an effort to counter negative narratives and aims to shape the public’s perception by painting cops as kind, friendly and heroic when the truth does not reflect this.

Andrea Ritchie is here to tune our eyes and ears to catch this “copaganda” in practice and educate us on the alternatives baked in our ancestry. Ritchie is a police misconduct attorney and organizer whose writing, litigation, and advocacy have focused on policing and criminalization of women, especially LGBTQ women of color, who have been victims of police violence. She is the author of Invisible No More, a history of state violence against women of color, and co-author of No More Police: A Case for Abolition with Mariame Kaba.

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Black History Year (BHY) is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school and explore pathways to liberation with people who are leading the way. You make PushBlack happen with your contributions at BlackHistoryYear.com — most people donate $10 a month, but every dollar makes a difference. If this episode moved you, share it with your people! Thanks for supporting the work.

The BHY production team includes Tareq Alani, Brooke Brown, Tasha Taylor, and Lilly Workneh. Our producers are Cydney Smith, Len Webb for PushBlack, and Ronald Younger, who also edits the show. Black History Year’s executive producers are Mikel Elcessor for Limina House and Julian Walker for PushBlack.

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