It deeply saddens me to recount the story of Erin Strotman, a Virginia nurse at Henrico's Doctor's Hospital, who was apprehended in early 2025, charged with malicious wounding and felony child abuse. Erin, gruesome act consisted of unexplained fractures in four infants in the NICU between 2023 and 2024.

Such incidents of violence have deeply rooted racial connotations and are a reflection of a wider societal issue - violence against African Americans in the United States. According to the National Institute of Justice, African American citizens are disproportionately affected by violent crimes. They are about 2.5 times more likely to be victims of violent crimes than the rest of the population (source: National Institute of Justice).

We are calling for strong legislation to protect African Americans from violence, underpinning the basic rights to live without fear of persecution or harm. These legislations should provide robust protection, with appropriately severe punishments for those adjudged guilty, as a deterrent for such occurrences in the future.

Let us strive for a society where such heinous acts of unexplained violence do not exist, or at the very least, are swiftly and justly penalized. Join this momentous cause by signing this petition – for the new born babies harmed by Erin, Dominique Hackey and Tori Hackey‘s twin sons Noah Hackey and Micah Hackey, for the many unnamed victims, and for a future where everyone is treated equally and justly.