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Five years ago this week, Sandra Bland was found hanging in her Texas jail cell.\\xa0 Three days earlier, a Texas State trooper had stopped her for failing to signal a lane change.\\xa0 Following their heated exchange, the trooper hauled her off to jail.\\xa0 Questions continue to surround Bland's death which was ruled a\\xa0 suicide. \\xa0

A Grand Jury indicted trooper Brian T. Encinia for making a false statement about why he ordered Bland out of her car.\\xa0 Prosecutors later dropped the charges after Encinia agreed to never work in law enforcement again.\\xa0 In 2017, the Texas legislature passed the Sandra Bland Act requiring all police officers to undergo training in de-escalation techniques.\\xa0 Bland's family received a $1.9 million settlement in a civil lawsuit.

Then last year, cell phone video surfaced, shot by Bland herself, showing her arrest. Her family is now calling for a renewed investigation into her death.\\xa0 Many prominent politicians are also pushing for the case to be reopened.

My guest this week, an LGBTQ+ Methodist Pastor, knew Sandra.\\xa0 Hannah Adair Bonner worked for two years following Bland's death to bring awareness and justice in the case.\\xa0 I first interviewed Bonner on the 4th anniversary of Bland's death. \\xa0 As we mark the 5th anniversary, Hannah and I build upon that conversation in light of the racial justice reckoning now facing our country.\\xa0 And for those white allies new to the racial justice movement, Hannah offers valuable insight and perspective.

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This podcast is devoted to empowering us all to better understand each other's differences...one story at a time.\\xa0 Emmy Award-winning journalist, Linda Lorelle, guides guests through insightful, unexpected conversations that reveal our common humanity.\\xa0 This show is not about politics per se; it is about finding a way to reclaim civility in the context of the contentious times in which we live, by sharing our personal and professional stories, in hopes that others might find a glimpse of themselves.