Four Women
by Nikesha Elise Williams

What happens to four strangers when the present meets the past and the whole world is watching? This is the story of four women. Soleil St. James, Dawn Anthony, Ebony Jones, and Dr. Jonelle “Johnnie” Edwards all live, work, and love in Jacksonville, Florida. The women from four different backgrounds don’t know each other, but when one tragically triumphant event brings their worlds together, the women’s jobs, relationships, and exponentially budding connections get tested in ways they’ve never imagined.

In a post–Ray Rice, Trayvon Martin, Jordan Davis, and Michael Brown world, Soleil, Dawn, Ebony, and Jonelle all question their place as African-American women. Is the Black woman still the mule of the world? Can justice be served when the suspect is also the victim, and the victim has a hidden criminal history that’s never been reported or prosecuted, and whenever faced head-on is swept under the rug?

In a world where stand your ground is immunity from prosecution for murder, or a license to kill, and domestic violence is scarcely recognized, what options does any one woman have?