Breonna Taylor covers the 'Vanity Fair' September issue

Prominent voices continue to call for justice for Breonna Taylor nearly six months after she was killed by police and the late EMT's portrait covers the September issue of Vanity Fair, guest-edited by bestselling author Ta-Nehisi Coates. The entire issue, entitled "The Great Fire," is dedicated to anti-racist activism, social justice leaders, hopeful figures in the movement and Breonna Taylor's life, death and ongoing legacy.The stunning portrait of Taylor in a blue gown that appears on the cover was created by painter Amy Sherald (who painted Michelle Obama's First Lady portrait), which the artist says "keeps Breonna alive forever." For the cover story, Taylor's mother Tamika Palmer sits through a series of interviews with Coates and recounts the story of her own life, Breonna's too-short 26 years, the terrifying night she was told her daughter had been killed and the global outrage that has erupted in recent months.

Presenting Breonna Taylor for Vanity Fair’s September issue, “The Great Fire,” guest-edited by Ta-Nehisi Coates. https://t.co/Gf9115GkGb pic.twitter.com/0TdNBeIOve

— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) August 24, 2020

"I have so many stories," Palmer tells Coates, revealing sweet anecdotes dotted with the kind of details a mom can't help but throw in, like that Breonna was extremely bossy, got sassy at the end of every school year and always called her mom when she made chili no matter how many times she had been told how to do it."She loved being in the hospital, she loved her job, and she loved the people she worked with," Palmer said of her daughter, an EMT who was training to be a nurse. "Clearly, they loved her. They would always be leaving her little notes about them loving her and loving to work with her. Even when she passed, some of them came to the funeral. We just can’t believe this, we love her so much. We’re just going to miss her."

Breonna Taylor’s Mother, Tamika Palmer, and Sister, Juniyah Palmer, Standing at the Banister Where Breonna Once Stood, Near the Front Steps of Her Apartment on Springfield Drive in Louisville, Kentucky.

Photograph by LaToya Ruby Frazier. https://t.co/tthZ7sZG97 pic.twitter.com/o28H8fpEFl— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) August 24, 2020

The story is peppered with black and white pictures taken by photographer LaToya Ruby Frazie, including Palmer wearing a "Justice4Bree" t-shirt and posing with Taylor's sister Juniyah Palmer; Taylor's boyfriend Kenneth Walker displaying the ring he intended to propose with and the baby shoes he had been given for when he and Taylor had kids; and Taylor's loved ones surrounded by tributes to her. Palmer says the love and righteous anger pouring out of the global community has been overwhelming and uplifting at the same time."They want to say they’re sorry. They want to apologize for the police. They want to offer their condolences. They want to apologize for not listening. I can’t believe it," she said. "I felt like with the whole pandemic, Breonna would be forgotten, and we would just get swept under the rug. And how do I feel then? Like, my God, somebody heard me. Like I finally caught my breath. That’s how I feel. Like I finally caught my breath."[video_embed id='1977627']RELATED: Megan Thee Stallion, more celebs attend All Black Lives Matter protest [/video_embed]"The Great Fire" issue also includes an oral history of the globalization of the Black Lives Matter movement since George Floyd's killing at the end of May and the growing awareness of anti-Black racism and white supremacy. The piece is "a movement’s early days as told by those who rose up, those who bore witness, those who grieved, and those who hoped" and includes a series of brief first-hand accounts of the events that transpired across the U.S. in the weeks following May 25 when Floyd died after former officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for nearly eight minutes.In another piece, author Jaqueline Woodson celebrates 20 activists doing the work to change the world in her essay "You Said Hope." Celebrity voices like Yara Shahidi, Ava DuVernay, Billy Porter, Noname and John Boyega; politicians like "The Squad" (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley); and activists like the co-founders of Black Lives Matter Patrisse Cullors, Opal Tometi and Alicia Garza are all featured.The rest of the issue contains pieces on protest art, the ongoing racial reckoning in the fashion industry and other essays as well as an interview with Amy Sherald where she discusses the Breonna Taylor masterpiece she created for the magazine cover. "She sees you seeing her. The hand on the hip is not passive, her gaze is not passive. She looks strong!” Sherald said. “I wanted this image to stand as a piece of inspiration to keep fighting for justice for her. When I look at the dress, it kind of reminds me of Lady Justice."Breonna Taylor was shot eight times in her own home by police officers Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison, and Myles Cosgrove on March 13, 2020. None of the three officers has been charged for her killing, despite global outrage and mass protests calling for their arrests.[video_embed id='2019156']BEFORE YOU GO: Leon Bridges on what 'compelled' him to release the powerful song 'Sweeter' [/video_embed]