“Love and Hip-Hop New York” star and activist Yandy Smith is getting candid with her fans about the trauma she’s been experiencing as a result of police brutality and racism.
On Wednesday, July 29, the reality star shared a four-minute video through her Instagram account that shows her opening up about her state of mind following recent social justice events.
“It’s six o’clock in the morning, and I’m just waking up from a horrible nightmare,” Smith began the clip. The star went on to reveal that she woke up thinking federal agents broke into her home to kill her and her children. Smith goes on to say that in her dream, she heard the agents say they entered the wrong home
The dream Smith described was similar in some ways to the reality faced by Breonna Taylor. On March 13, 2020, the 26-year-old emergency medical technician was shot and killed by police in her home in Louisville, Kentucky, as police attempted to execute a search warrant for a drug investigation. It was later revealed that the suspect police were looking for actually lived 10 miles away from Taylor’s home.
Smith goes on to explain that as a Black mother living in the current social climate where those responsible for Taylor’s death have yet to be apprehended, she tends to worry tremendously, and it has also resulted in her having frequent anxiety attacks.
The mother of two revealed that she has had difficulty sleeping, knowing that her skin color has become “a depiction of what they believe my character is, my morality, my association, the threat.” Smith added, “Just like me, my babies can’t wash it off.” Smith admitted that she’s scared that all of her children, at some point in life, will come into contact with someone who is threatened by the color of their skin. She also fears that they will face unfair treatment by someone of authority as a result.
Smith ended the video as her husband Mendeecees approached the room and thanked fans for taking the time out to listen. Smith also left a call to action to arrest the police responsible for the killing of Breonna Taylor. “Some will never know what affects this repeated trauma has on every day,” Smith captioned the clip. “Black Mothers. Fear to create the gift of our womb, fear to let them play in city parks, fear to see them sleep peaceful knowing there will be many rude awakenings. BREONNA TAYLOR’S MURDER, is an epic fail of our AMERICAN JUSTICE SYSTEM that has cause PTSD in so many BLACK WOMEN. The no ACCOUNTABILITY has enraged so many, but particularly it has aided in the diminishment on the value of a BLACK WOMEN’S Life.”
Many fans left kind words of encouragement for the star, including one fan who wrote, “My heart aches for us! I too feel your pain sis…” While another fan wrote, “I have a lot of respect for you.”
The post comes after Smith was arrested July 14 alongside Porsha Williams of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” and several other celebrity figures, for protesting outside of Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s home in Louisville as a way to demand justice for Taylor. All were released the following morning.
