Breonna Taylor (June 5, 1993 – March 13, 2020) was an African-American woman who was shot and killed while unarmed in her Louisville, Kentucky home by three police officers who entered under the auspices of a "no-knock" search warrant.

[5] Originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Taylor worked as an on-call Emergency Room Technician and first responder in the local area at the time of her death.

Supporters adopted the motto #SayHerName in Taylor's memory bringing attention to Black women who are killed by police officers.

[11] According to her mother, Tamika, Breonna turned her focus on working to improve her credit score and also buying a car and eventually a home.

After midnight, three plain clothes Louisville Metro police officers used a battering ram to enter Taylor's apartment in search of a suspect wanted for drug trafficking.

[20] In April 2021, Governor Andy Beshear signed Senate Bill 4, known as "Breonna's Law," which limits the "no knock" policy statewide.

[22] Following a series of short-term leaders at the helm of the LMPD during the aftermath of Taylor's death, Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel was named the city's first permanent Black female police chief in July 2023.

[25] On June 11, 2020, the Louisville Metro Council banned no-knock search warrants; and by February 2022, other cities and states implemented similar restrictions.

[26][27] The deaths of Taylor and George Floyd, in addition to social justice protests throughout the United States, prompted President Joe Biden to designate Juneteenth (June 19) a federal holiday.

[30] Meanwhile, during the fall 2020 playoffs (during the abbreviated "bubble" season), NBA player Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets wore a custom-designed pair of Adidas sneakers featuring images of Taylor and George Floyd.

And during the first round of the U.S. Open in New York City, tennis player Naomi Osaka wore a plain black face mask with Breonna Taylor's name on it.

[32] Musicians Chloe x Halle paid tribute to both Breonna Taylor and George Floyd during a pre-recorded performance of the national anthem to start the 2020–2021 NFL season.

Chloe wore a T-shirt bearing Taylor's image (including the words "Say Her Name"), and the sisters raised their fists in the air at the conclusion.

[33] Also in September 2020, British racing driver Lewis Hamilton wore a t-shirt bearing Taylor's face on the back after he won the Formula 1 Tuscan Grand Prix.

[34] In 2024, Power of the Dream, a documentary directed by Dawn Porter was released; the film highlights the tensions that WNBA players faced while attempting to protest Taylor's death in 2020.

The five panels featured a number of legal experts and attorneys, including Sam Aguiar and Lonita Baker, lawyers representing the Taylor family.

[38] In November 2020, the University of Kentucky College of Education hosted "Navigating Your Teens in Breonna Taylor's America", an online discussion aimed at youth leaders.

[39] In response to the deaths of Taylor and George Floyd, Black college students nationally organized protests and demanded better support on their campuses.

[40] A group of eight female students from Waggener High School in Louisville formed the Future Ancestors dedicated to the memory of Taylor.

The University of Louisville, where Taylor worked as an ER technician at Medical Center East, established a nursing scholarship in her honor with funds received from a donor.

The summer following Taylor's death, a number of visual artists all over the world created murals in honor of Breonna, often including images of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery.

[46] First on public display at the Smithsonian, the piece moved to the Speed museum beginning June 2023, as per Sherald's request to have the work accessible to Louisville residents.