This photo — two women’s hands, one black and one white, gently intertwined — has long been one of my favorites that I’ve treasured up to this moment, nearly 14 years after it was taken. I’ve cherished it because it represents love and unity between two women transcending racial divides, a sentiment that remains powerful even more than a decade after that romantic relationship ended. But I’ve also cherished it because it evokes a dark, formative memory that will forever haunt me — and, more importantly, remind me that true unity and solidarity can’t be sustained by a fleeting moment of anger or an empty hashtag.
