Tamika Mallory has responded to Tamir Rice's mom Samaria Rice's recent comments about her. As previously reported, Rice felt that Mallory's performance at the Grammys with Lil Baby was attention seeking and for clout. Later, Rice and Lisa Simpson, the mother of Richard Risher, came forward with a list of demands asking that Mallory, Shaun King, Benjamin Crump, Lee Merritt, and Black Lives Matter Global Network, not use their sons’ names at all.
Mallory has responded, saying, “From my perspective, I want to make sure that as a mother I speak directly to Ms. Rice. And also, just so that folks know, I have reached out through some other individuals. I don’t have a direct contact, but I have reached out and let some other folks know that I am available to do so."
Rice continued, saying that Ms. Rice is right, saying, "I support 100% how she feels and what she has stated in terms of her pain related to her son. I feel like we all have failed her. As a nation, I think that whenever a child, or any person but particularly a child, is killed, this nation should have erupted. And the fact that she did not get the proper justice for her son would make anyone angry. So I totally understand and respect the trauma and pain that she feels as a mother."
She added, "The second thing I feel is that the issue of divisiveness has been used in every single movement. And it has actually destroyed movements. I don’t participate in it…If people are watching looking for some aha moment of me speaking negatively about or to Ms. Rice, it’s not going to happen. I would never ever allow my organization, my team at Until Freedom to be used as a tool in the master’s box. I will never allow that."
She went on, "I will however say that I think it’s important to clarify the questions around whether or not we have used Ms. Rice’s child, her baby, in campaigns, in speeches, in fundraising or any of those types of efforts. We have not. As Ms. Rice has already said, we have not even met. We’ve never actually sat down, had a phone conversation or met in any way. So I would never be so disrespectful as to speak about her child or have a campaign that addresses her child or that uses her child’s name to uplift any cause. Ms. Rice has said she wants me to not speak of her child, I will be very, very careful, going forward to ensure that I respect her wishes."