June 17th 2023.
Oluwatoyin “Toyin” Salau was a young activist whose life and untimely death remain in the forefront of many minds, even three years later. She serves as a reminder of the specific tragedies that Black women often face. On June 6, 2020, Salau posted a series of tweets that revealed she had recently been sexually assaulted. According to her thread of tweets, a man had offered her a ride after she had been staying at a church due to “unjust living conditions”. He provided her with clean clothes and then proceeded to touch her inappropriately and without her consent.
This was not the first time that she had been assaulted. Just three months prior to her disappearance, a 32-year-old man, an instructor at Florida A&M University, had violated her and then proceeded to harass her for days. Salau, her friends Danaya Hemphill and Ashley Laurent, and another friend attempted to take legal action against her first assailant. However, they were told that there would need to be more evidence before an investigation could occur.
Days before her death, Salau had gone radio silent on Twitter. Her last known location was captured on footage and showed her entering Big Easy Snowballs at Lake Ella around 7:00 PM on June 10. However, she wasn't found until nine days later. She had been murdered alongside another woman, 75-year-old Victoria Sims. Aaron Glee, a man with a history of violence against women, was soon arrested for the murders.
Salau’s death resonated deeply with people across platforms, with many social media users tweeting the hashtag #RIPOLUWATOYIN in honor of her memory. Salau is remembered for her dedication to Black lives and her courage to fight for justice. She spoke out against violence at a gathering outside of police headquarters in a now widely-circulated video shared by 247 Live Culture.
The 19-year-old’s death highlights the gendered violence and housing inequalities that disproportionately impact Black women. Salau spent her time advocating for justice on behalf of Black people, including Black men. However, her life was callously cut short by the very person she sought to protect. Despite her conditions, Salau remained just as formidable in death as she was in life.
We remember Salau for her courage and her spirit and we will continue to ensure that her life is not forgotten. Maya Angelou once said, “The Black woman is assaulted in her tender years by all those common forces of nature at the same time that she is caught in the tripartite crossfire of masculine prejudice, white illogical hate and Black lack of power. The fact that the adult American Negro female emerges a formidable character is often met with amazement, distaste and even belligerence. It is seldom accepted as an inevitable outcome of the struggle won by survivors and deserves respect if not enthusiastic acceptance.” This quote rings especially true in the case of Salau, who was a victim of racial and gender disparities that left her vulnerable to the violence she experienced in her lifetime.
We must continue to uphold her legacy and advocate for justice on behalf of Black women everywhere. We must protect our Black women and ensure that they are not forgotten. Salau’s memory will not fade away and her spirit remains with us.
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