Oluwatoyin 'Toyin' Salau's Tweets Also Show She Was Just Beginning To Make An Indelible Mark On The World
In a tweet, the activist and student shared she was sexually assault days before her disappearance. The brave tweet was just one of many which showed the young advocate was a revolutionary in the making.
June 17, 2020 at 12:46 pm
Black Lives Matter activist and cosmetology student Oluwatoyin "Toyin" Salau, 19, took to Twitter to document a sexual assault days before she was found dead.
The teenager tweeted that the man who assaulted her first offered her a ride near the church where she'd "sought spiritual guidance/refuge."
"He came disguised as a man of God and ended up picking me up from nearby Saxon Street," she tweeted of her alleged attacker on June 6. "I entered his truck only because I carry anything to defend myself not even a phone (which is currently at the church) and I have poor vision. I trusted the holy spirit to keep me safe."
On June 13, police found Salau's body in southeast Tallahassee, along with 75-year-old Victoria Sims, the Tallahassee Democrat reported. Local authorities have yet to identify any connection between the two victims, but police have arrested Aaron Glee Jr., 49, in connection to both killings.
Oluwatoyin “Toyin” Salau
Rest in Power Angel ???? #JusticeForToyin after tweeting about her sexual assault she went missing for several days and her body was recently found. She was only 19. pic.twitter.com/4uAlVsAVHK— Shari ✨ (@shariauna_) June 15, 2020
Just days prior to her killing, Salau's voice was among the chorus of protesters demanding justice for George Floyd, Tony McDade and all other stolen Black lives.
As Americans hold vigils in Salau's honor all around the country, the student, activist and friend is immortalized as a defender of justice and righteousness. A fellow Black Lives Matter activist described Salau as “powerful,” remembering the student as wanting "to be more involved in the movement and share that activism with those around her,” The New York Times reported.
Her voice, friends in the movement say, was undeniable.
Salau's tweets about her sexual assault evidenced an admirable bravery. But they weren't the only testament to the harrowing reality that the young woman was on her way to leaving an indelible mark on the world.
We've compiled some of Salau's most powerful tweets to allow her words to speak for her: