Black-Lives-Matter

In December 2018, the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled that Cyntoia Brown would have to serve 51 more years in prison before becoming eligible for parole. However, Black Lives Matter (BLM) Nashville was not having it, and Brown's freedom became their priority. In their eyes, Gov. Bill Haslam had one job left to do before leaving office on January 19, 2019: Grant 30-year-old Cyntoia Brown clemency.On January 7, 2019 — just one month after the court's decision — Gov. Haslam granted Brown clemency. BLM Nashville activists Justin Lang, Brittany Paschall and MarTáze Gaines told Blavity Cyntoia Brown’s clemency was not due to the efforts of a single individual or organization. Rather, achieving her freedom was indeed a collaborative effort."It is the result of Cyntoia’s advocacy for herself, and over a decade of organizing from Black woman-led organizations both locally in Tennessee and across the nation, such as No Exceptions Prison Collective, Free Hearts, Survived & Punished, National Council for Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls, SisterReach and many more," the BLM Nashville team told Blavity. Although Brown has already been incarcerated for 15 years, the Tennessee Supreme Court's decision was the tip of the iceberg for many who had  been advocating for her release for years. Immediately following the decision, BLM Nashville took matters into their own hands, making moves that would incite what Congressman John Lewis would define as "good trouble.""We held a conference call and determined that our response should be to find an upcoming event where we could confront Haslam and demand clemency directly in person," the BLM Nashville team said.After discovering that Gov. Haslam would be attending a conversation on higher education at a local library, they made plans to disrupt his meeting."Having no other option, we organized a disruption of Haslam’s event in less than 18 hours. Our plan was to secure tickets to the event, be first to the mic during the Q&A, and shut the event down if we were not given an adequate response."The activists were not expecting recognition and response to their protest to become as widespread as it did in just a month. Their activism ultimately led to Haslam’s office reportedly receiving over 6,000 calls per day."We encouraged folks to contact their governors, elected officials and clergy while continuing to call Haslam, activating multiple pressure points to force his hand," they said.Before they knew it, Tennessee legislators, clergy and other organizations, like the NAACP Youth and College Division and the National Survivor Network, were circulating petitions and mobilizing communities for Brown's freedom. Representatives + Senators Day: #Clemency4CyntoiaBrown https://t.co/O2pkT6HKNr pic.twitter.com/HtU9JaQiq1— BLM Nashville (@BLM_Nashville) December 19, 2018Today at 1 pm the IMF will hold a press conference at American Baptist College in the Susie McClure Library and Chapel. pic.twitter.com/UO83WxN2cW— BLM Nashville (@BLM_Nashville) December 20, 2018 The group also organized a "National Week of Action for Cyntoia Brown," which received massive support across social media. It’s the National Week of Action for Cyntoia Brown! Visit https://t.co/5RMqKN3YBD for more details. #clemency4cyntoia #clemency4cyntoiabrown pic.twitter.com/YycJ6Kmvav— BLM Nashville (@BLM_Nashville) December 18, 2018Of course, their efforts were met with some challenges. During the process of persuading Gov. Haslam to grant Brown's clemency, much of the team's work as prison abolitionists involved challenging the perfect victim narrative."We struggled to ensure our narrative focused on a critique of the prison system as one that wrongly incarcerated Black people — that Cyntoia needed to be freed, regardless of whether she 'properly reformed' herself, as she should have never been incarcerated in the first place," the BLM Nashville team said. "We work to disrupt a perfect victim narrative to challenge the idea that prison is legitimate for anyone."Cyntoia is set to be released on August 7, but BLM Nashville recognizes that there will be many others still serving time with unnecessarily harsh sentences who should be granted clemency, as well."We are celebrating her clemency as a victory, while acknowledging the need to continue uplifting other 'Cyntoias' and critiquing the unjust practices of incarcerating survivors for experiencing harm."The BLM Nashville encourages everyone to find other Black women and girls who have been criminalized and punished for surviving domestic and sexual violence in our own states, in addition to advocating for their lives. "It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win."Follow BLM Nashville on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook or check out their website to stay up to date with their continued work.Like this content? Now, check these out:Tennessee Governor Grants Clemency To Cyntoia BrownCyntoia Brown Speaks Out After Receiving News Of Her ClemencyTarana Burke, Black Lives Matter Nashville Launch Petition To Free Cyntoia Brown In Time For The...

Criminal justice reform is not anything new. However, since Kim Kardashian managed to persuade 45 to free Alice Marie Johnson from prison earlier this year, she's somehow started to receive credit for a fight she did not begin.  When it comes to fighting for change with our criminal justice system,  it's one that has long been led by strong Black women. It's time to put some "respeck" on the names of those bold, fierce and resilient Black women who've made it their responsibility to advocate against the system of oppression that is America's criminal justice system.Some of these women have experienced prison firsthand, some have family members who were wrongly convicted, and some just decided to jump into the fight before Kim K presented her stance on the issue in 2018. Regardless, these Black women deserve some recognition for their dedication to reform the criminal justice system. Here are five Black women who've been fighting criminal justice reform way before Kim got the credit:1. Michelle AlexanderCivil rights attorney, social justice activist, and best-selling author, Michelle Alexander's eye-opening and notable work, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, has been called the "secular Bible of the social movement." An interview subject in Ava DuVernay's 13th, Alexander's commentary in the documentary analyzes the corruption of America's criminal justice system. During her Tedx Talk conversation in 2013, the Union Theological seminary professor addressed the blunt reality of mass incarceration as a system of "millions of people, often poor people and people of color, locked in literal cages, often treated worse than animals, and then upon their release, they're stripped of the basic civil and human rights supposedly won in the civil rights movement." YouTube | TEDx Talks2.  CeCe McDonaldIn June 2011, CeCe McDonald was on her way to the store — minding her own business — when a man shouting racist and transphobic comments attacked her with a glass bottle in Minneapolis. The artist and LGBTQ rights activist retaliated by stabbing the man with scissors, and this resulted in his death. McDonald pleaded guilty on her charge of second-degree murder and was sentenced to 41 months in a men’s prison. While in prison, McDonald’s name graced social media via the hashtag #FreeCeCe, sparking a dialogue around the need for more conversations surrounding transgender rights. She was released after 19 months, due to good behavior. In 2016, actress and LGBTQ rights activist Laverne Cox co-produced the documentary Free CeCe! The film draws necessary attention to the systemic social ill of transphobia that ultimately led McDonald to prison. It also empowers others to join the movement and stand up against hate. Since her release, CeCe has not let up on her activism, not only advocating for trans rights but also to end the prison-industrial complex.3. Patrisse CullorsPatrisse Cullors rose to prominence as the co-founder of the movement that has forever changed the conversation around race in America: Black Lives Matter.In April, Cullors wrote a poignant piece for the Los Angeles Times about how her older brother's jail sentence — which occurred almost 20 years ago — has continued to impact her family even today. She credits the aftermath of the prison abuse her brother endured as one of the reasons behind her launching the now-infamous movement."Certainly it's one of the reasons I founded the advocacy group Dignity and Power Now in 2012 and co-founded the Black Lives Matter movement in 2013. It's also why, this year, I'm pushing to get a critical jail reform measure on the November ballot," the activist wrote.4. Marian Wright EdelmanMarian Wright Edelman founded the Children's Defense Fund (CDF) in 1973, an organization that improves policies by advocating on behalf of children. Nearly 35 years after starting this organization, Edelman and the CDF launched a national summit to confront “America’s cradle to prison pipeline crisis.” The summit, which took place at Howard University, addressed the "national catastrophe" of mass incarceration among communities of color. It ultimately served as a “call to action to dismantle” the racially biased system that has continuously put black and brown children at a greater disadvantage than their white counterparts.Edelman’s accolades include the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Albert Schweitzer Humanitarian Prize, a MacArthur Foundation Prize Fellowship and a Robert F. Kennedy Lifetime Achievement Award, among others. In 2011, while receiving the John Jay Justice Award, Eldelman’s speech poignantly highlighted the urgent need for juvenile justice reform.“Incarceration is becoming the new American slavery and poor children of color are the fodder. We must act now to stop the growing criminalization of children at younger and younger ages," she stated.The 79-year-old trailblazer is not new to this; she is more than true to this.5. Angela DavisAngela Davis has been advocating for criminal justice reform for decades.In 1970, the avid feminist and civil rights activist chose to support three Black inmates  — George Jackson, Fleeta Drumgoole and John Clutchette — who became known as the "Soledad brothers," after they were accused of murdering a white correctional officer.She went on to become a part of the Soledad Brothers Defense Committee, in order to help fight against the "wrongful conviction for the murder of a prison guard," according to Lifetime. In August 1970, during one of the brother's trials, there was an armed escape attempt that resulted in the deaths of several people. Because the guns used in the incident were registered in Davis' name, she faced multiple, charges including attempted murder. Then on October 13, 1970, Davis was arrested in Manhattan, and she remained in prison for 18 months before being acquitted. Decades later, Davis began actively traveling the country, giving lectures around her thoughts on prison abolition. “My question is, 'Why are people so quick to assume that locking away an increasingly large proportion of the U.S. population would help those who live in the free world feel safer and more secure?” the social justice activist and current UC Santa Cruz professor once asked during a lecture. In 2013, she published her book Are Prisons Obsolete? which argues her point that the abolishment of prisons would be more effective than prison reform, Politico reports. She refers to today's prison reform movement as the "21st-century abolitionist movement."Check out a lecture Davis delivered, in which she raises the question, "What happens if the system can't be fixed?"YouTube | AfroMarxistWhen excluded from the conversations that directly impact our community, the relevancy of those discussions are invalidated. However, we can't afford for history to be whitewashed history any further. It's not only important for us to remember the incredible work of these Black women, it’s also absolutely imperative that the fruit of their labor is uplifted, shared and applied, in order to make the potential changes we wish to see in our criminal justice system.May they be seen.Make sure you're following Blavity:Politics on Instagram and join our daily newsletter to stay engaged and informed.Also, check these out related links:Congress Passes Landmark Criminal Justice Reform Bill, Trump To Sign It Into LawAlice Marie Johnson Hopes Trump Will Remember The 'Others Who Have Been Left Behind'Black Lives Matter Co-Founder Is Launching Another Movement To Help Reform The Prison...

Lucy McBath's Democratic nomination for Georgia's 6th Congressional District representative is a move she credits to the senseless murder of her son, Jordan Davis. In a recent interview, she revealed his shooting death was the “catalyst” that motivated her to run for office."I am walking in the path I thought I had laid for him," McBath told BuzzFeed News. "I come from a family of civil rights leaders...I grew up in the movement."McBath's father was the president of the Illinois NAACP chapter for over 20 years. She told the outlet that watching activists strategize in her house partially prepared her for her journey ahead. Being a political science major and working for the first senator of color in Virginia also sparked her inclination toward congressional leadership. However, it was her son's murder that was the catalyst to unleash her journey to politics. “Everything I was teaching him to be, and I thought and assumed that I was grooming him for, I’ve ended up assuming that role,” McBath said. “I can’t be a hypocrite, so I very much have to walk out what I was trying to teach him.”Davis was only 17 years old when 47-year-old Michael Dunn murdered him due to a dispute about his music being too loud. His untimely 2012 death, in part, helped to spawn the Black Lives Matter movement. In 2014, Dunn was convicted of first-degree murder in Davis' killing and sentenced to life without parole.“It’s a phone call that no parent ever wants to get,” McBath said. “And every fear that I had about protecting Jordan as a young, black male, it all converged on me in that one moment.”The former Delta Airlines flight attendant has also been a huge advocate against gun control."It's not enough to just have the movement," she told CNN. "It's just not enough to have the marches and the rallies and the speeches and the remarks unless we have people who are willing to create the bills to make this a safer nation."In November, Davis will face off against Republican Congresswoman Karen Handel.You can watch BuzzFeed's full interview with McBath here.Now, check these out:Georgia Politician Refuses To Resign After Yelling 'N****r' And Literally Showing His Ass On TelevisionMillions Are Being Purged From Voter Registration Lists, And It Could Have A Huge Impact On The 2018 ElectionHow Trump's 'Gag Rule' Impacts Black Communities And Why We Must Fight To Keep Title...

If you’ve seen the clip of Serena Williams being penalized for respectfully voicing her opinion of an unfair call and unfair treatment (especially in comparison to her male counterparts), then you, my friend, have witnessed how it feels to be a black woman in the workplace — hell, life — every day."You owe me an apology!"Serena was fired up with the official in the final set of the US Open final. pic.twitter.com/r6RSbrirnV— ESPN (@espn) September 8, 2018 First off all (insert neck roll and tongue click), we have to work harder to even be recognized for our efforts. For some reason, it’s assumed that we will pick up everyone’s slack and take care of everyone’s problems without complaint.And then when we do complain, instead of being seen as a human voicing our opinions, ideas or concerns, we are seen as the stereotypical, nagging “angry black woman.” Oh, we initially start off politically correct and will politely code-switch to assimilate, but we still aren’t heard. It isn’t until we raise our voice and demand to be seen that we get attention. But by that point, we are so tired of being invisible and ignored, that we could care less about your feelings and will tell you like it is  —  no cut cards, no bars held.Why are you angry, we're ask? Well, Serena very bluntly tells you why. Every year she comes on that court, she is treated unfairly and you can be damned sure it’s because of her extreme skill and athletic ability, the color of her skin  — or both. Oh, and her refusal to wipe white tears (but instead, she drinks them). We demand equality, respect and recognition of our hard work that seems so hard to obtain, and we are constantly penalized , often  seen as bitchy and barbaric for using our voice to be heard and being treated fairly.I personally think she handled the situation extremely well, and she had to. She knew what stage she was on and she couldn’t let the full Compton come out. In watching that clip, I instantly wanted to comfort Serena, because I know exactly how it feels to have your voice stomped on and trashed; I know how it feels to have your humanity disregarded and the need to beg and plea to be heard  — something that almost every person of color has to do every day.She was out there on the court all alone, her sister Venus far away in the stands. All I could think that if she was a white man, another white man would have came over there to have his back and set that ref straight, make a phone call and get the umpire's call likely reversed. Instead, she held her ground, alone, with no one coming to her rescue (per the usual). We stand tall, strong and face our battles head on, because we HAVE to. I do not know if Serena was right or wrong, and I don’t know the official rules of tennis, but I do know this clip exemplifies my life in the workplace on a daily basis. In a blog post at 8:20 with Love, Stella Oloyede says it even better.I know how it feels to feel helpless, hopeless and defenseless, being the only person of color in the room, defending your existence, talent and intelligence. No Serena, you aren’t crazy and you aren’t alone. Even when you’re the greatest athlete in the world, workplace discrimination is a real thing, and black women face it in extremely disproportionate numbers. Just as Serena, we have to keep our heads held high, hold back the tears, shake it off and get back to the grind. We will be seen and we will be...

Original:Four police officers in Mesa, Arizona have been placed on leave after a disturbing video surfaced showing the officers brutally beating a black man identified as 33-year-old Robert Johnson on Wednesday, May 23. According to AZCentral, officers arrived at the scene at an apartment complex after receiving a call from a woman in distress. In the video that's been widely circulated online Johnson can be seen leaning against a railing while on his cell phone, and another man can be seen sitting on the floor around the corner. The officers, two of whom are black, can then be seen approaching Johnson, immediately patting him down. Mesa Police Chief Ramon Batista confirmed to AZCentral that "no weapons were located" after Johnson was frisked. As Batista said in a narration to AZCentral, the officers then appeared to ask Johnson to move away from the railing to lean against the wall, to which Johnson can be seen complying. But when Johnson apparently did not get on the floor against the wall after officers allegedly instructed him to do so, the officers can be seen violently hitting and punching Johnson, making him collapse to the ground. After reviewing the footage, Batista told AZCentral that he believes the officers were not "at their best.""I don't feel that our officers were at their best," he said. "I don't feel this situation needed to go the way that it went."The four officers – three officers and a sergeant – have since been placed on administrative leave while the department investigates the incident, BuzzFeed reported. Batista told local Fox10 that he only learned about the incident after a community member submitted the surveillance video to him. "I didn't know anything about this, and the way I learned about this is because a member of the community sent me the video and said, 'hey, this looks very alarming, and I need you to look at it,'" he said. "I examined it, and I immediately opened up an investigation."Johnson's attorneys Benjamin Taylor and Joel Robbins, and Andre Miller, a pastor at New Beginnings Christian Church in Mesa, released the following statement, AZCentral reported:"The misconduct of these officers would have gone unnoticed if it had not been captured by surveillance videos at the apartment complex where the assault occurred," the statement read. "We hope and pray that the Mesa Police Department will accept responsibility for the misconduct of these officers. Mesa must take concrete steps to ensure that culpable officers are disciplined, retrained, or dismissed. The Mesa Police Department must develop a law enforcement culture that meets community and constitutional norms and ensures that police and citizens go home safely after police interactions."Batista told AZCentral that he has since moved to institute policy changes concerning use of police force. Update (August 28, 2018):The Mesa Police Department asked nearby Scottsdale, Arizona's police department to review footage of the beating. That investigation has been completed, CNN reports, and the Scottsdale Police Department found "no criminal charges are warranted against the involved officers as the use of force was legally authorized and justified under Arizona state law."Johnson's lawyer, Benjamin Taylor, rejected the department's findings, and suggested the report put out by Scottsdale was nothing more than another example of the blue wall of silence."The video flatly contradicts the self-serving accounts of the police officers involved," Taylor said. "The use of government violence against cooperating citizens, who have committed no crime and who pose no threat, is a crime without justification or legal authorization."Johnson's beating is the third by Mesa officers this summer. Taylor has promised to continue fighting for justice on Johnson's behalf, and said he and his client will seek to put their case "before a civil jury."Now, check these out:11 Times Police Successfully Disarmed White People Without Killing AnyoneStudy Finds 8 Percent Of Male Homicides In The U.S. Are Committed By Police OfficersPolice Officer Shoots And Kills Decynthia Clements In Elgin, Illinois During Highway...

Recently, the WeHo Times reported the tragic death of Gemmel Moore, killed a crystal meth overdose in late July.Moore was found at the home of Ed Buck, a wealthy, high-profile Democratic Party donor and political activist. The police report filed on the incident reported the death as an "accident." However, Moore's mother LaTisha Nixon wasn't so sure that that was the case.Nixon found out through one of Moore's friends that Moore had engaged in sex work before his death, and that Buck was a client of both men. “I called one of my son’s friends and was like, ‘who the hell is Edward Buck?’" Nixon said.  "And my son’s friend was like, ‘Oh my God, that’s that white guy, that wealthy white politician guy … he was like, ‘Oh my God …’"The reason for the friend's horror was what he told Nixon next. “[Buck] would have my son to go out to … Santa Monica Boulevard looking for young gay black guys so he could inject them with drugs, see their reaction and how [they] would react and take pictures of them,” Nixon said the friend told her.John Bice, a friend of Moore's, told LA Weekly a similar story."Basically this guy would find young struggling black guys around town, pick them up and say he was going to help them out — make sure they had clothes and food. ... He wanted to see them get high, first with weed. Then one day, the guy wanted him to shoot up," Bice said.Nixon believes Buck was basically conducting a psycho-sexual version of the Tuskegee experiments on the young black men. “[Buck] would supply heroin, meth and other drugs to him to smoke or use with a needle,” Nixon said. “Buck would pleasure himself at the sight of my son using drugs.”Moore's mother added that her son's friends told her that Buck would reward young men for taking big hits.“The bigger the cloud of smoke,” the more money Buck would give the men. Nixon said Buck “would excitedly encourage [Moore] to increase his dosage by saying, ‘More, more, and I’ll give you $500 more.’”Buck himself hasn't spoken out about these accusations, but his lawyer, Seymour Amster, has.Amster said that Moore injected himself with the meth, that Buck was Moore's friend and “did not witness it being injected” and that, “This was an accidental death. This was an unfortunate death … but that doesn’t mean we can make spurious accusations and spin something out of control.”However, Moore's journals, which were discovered after his death, tell a different story.Social critic and political commentator Jasmyne Cannick has made it her mission to broadcast Moore's story, and posted screenshots of Moore's journal entries on her site, which gave a more personal and gruesome look to his tragic death."I've become addicted to drugs, and the worst one at that," Moore wrote in his diary. "Ed Buck is the one to thank, he gave me my first injection of chrystal [sic] meth, it was very painful, but after all the troubles I became addicted to the pain and fetish/fantasy."A police report found that the coroner's investigators interviewed an unnamed woman who said Moore told her that "over a year ago" a person (whose name is redacted in the report) tied him up and “held him against his will at the residence in West Hollywood.”Nixon said that she heard from her son after this event, and that he filed a police report about it. Although that report has not turned up, she vividly recalls what he told her."He filed a police report because he said that Buck had held him in his apartment or whatever and had shot him up with a needle with something he didn’t know what it was," Nixon said. "He called me crying. Three minutes on the phone hollering and I’m like, ‘What the hell is going on?’ He said, ‘This man, he shot me up with something I don’t even know what it is,’ and I’m like, My son is having a breakdown or episode. But he sent me pictures of his arm, his arm was red.”Following the allegations, U.S. Representative Karen Bass donated the campaign contribution Buck gave her to Moore's family.Other Democrats have yet to follow her lead, and Democratic Party official Kimberly Ellis told the Weekly that that is a very telling thing."It suggests money and power can oftentimes have a greater influence over our elected officials than doing what's right," Ellis said. "This is a test in many ways for the Democratic Party and our elected officials to really stand up and speak out and make it very clear whose side they're on — justice and LGBTQs or special interests and big-dollar donors."This week, the Sacramento Observer reports that The Justice 4 Gemmel + All of Ed Buck’s Victim’s group announced that Chair of the African American Caucus of the California Democratic Party, Darren Parker, will pen a resolution calling on the entire Democratic party to return all funds donated by Buck.“Too often there are ills in the African American community that we just don’t discuss,” noted Parker. “These issues that we don’t bring to the surface are starting to define what happens to our people. So I thought it was important – one, as a chair who believes in transparency, who believes in education even in adversity that we have to talk about the things that we’re uncomfortable with or even hearing about.”Cannick agrees with Parker.“As Democrats we shouldn’t be in the business of protecting predators with our silence,” Cannick said. “If we can condemn those who hurt women, we can certainly condemn those who hurt the most vulnerable in our community. As a Democrat that’s what I expect from my party’s leadership.”The Stonewall Democratic Club Los Angeles made a similar statement, calling for a "thorough investigation."Club board member Ashlee Marie Preston said that Moore's case is a chance for Democrats to prove that they actually care about society's oppressed, stressing that Moore was not only black, but also gay, HIV-positive and sometimes homeless."This is an opportunity for politicians to draw a clear line as to what their values are, what they want to prioritize and where they stand on social issues," Preston said. "What would we say if this involved a prominent GOP figure? People would be busting down the door to make a statement."Chair of the California Young Democrats’ Black Caucus, Devin T. Murphy, put it even more simply.“We have a responsibility not only to Gemmel’s family and friends but to African Americans, African American Democrats and Democrats period to not only talk the talk when it comes to our Party’s values but to also walk the walk," Murphy said. "All black lives matter.”Update, July 31, 2018:The Los Angeles Times reports Buck will face no charges in connection to Moore's death.Police officials submitted the results of their investigation into Buck to the district attorney's office on July 10. The DA found the gathered evidence to be insufficient and declined to charge Buck with murder, voluntary manslaughter, furnishing illegal drugs or possession of illegal drugs.In a statement, the DA's office said the “admissible evidence is insufficient to prove [guilt] beyond a reasonable doubt,” and also claimed some of the submitted evidence had been obtained through inadmissible search and seizure.According to WEHOville, Moore's mother, LaTisha Nixon, said she wasn't surprised by the DA's decision. At a memorial for Moore following the announcement, Nixon pledged to continue fighting for her son and for other young men and women like him.“No more Gemmel Moores,” Nixon said. “I’m definitely not going to go away. Ed Buck needs to be stopped.”City council member Lindsey Horvath, who is white, slammed the decision. In a statement read at the memorial, Horvath wrote, "if Gemmel looked like me – there would be mass outrage.”Councilwoman Horvath added, “The life of a thoughtful, caring and giving 26-year-old young man was cut short due to unthinkable circumstances. More young men have since come forward, sharing their concerns of similar encounters. Yet our justice system has said that their stories don’t matter, that their truth is irrelevant. It has told the members of our community that possessing narcotics, using narcotics, luring impressionable young LGBT people without resources into sex – that all of these acts are none of their concern. That anyone facing these issues is on their own. Without support. Alone."Now, check these out:The Deaths Of These Three Women Have Jacksonville's Trans Women Afraid They're Being Targeted By A Serial Killer Chicago Activists Fear The Worst After Four Girls And Women Disappear Within Miles Of Each Other, With Two Found DeadBlack Women And LGBT Students Are At A Higher Risk Of Sexual...

Today in white nonsense, a "White Civil Rights Rally" is set to take place in Washington D.C. in mid-August -- and there about to get met with a hearty dose of counter protests from Black Lives Matter activists. According to Fox 5 DC, the August 12 rally is slated to be held at Lafayette Park near the White House. To add insult to injury, the date marks the one year anniversary of the violent, white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. As a response to the absurdity that an application for permit to hold this event was even approved by the National Park Service, both members of Black Lives Matter D.C. and Shut It Down D.C. are taking action. “We are calling all anti-fascists and people of good conscience to participate in international days of action August 10 through August 12 and a mass mobilization in Washington, D.C.,” Shut It Down D.C. wrote on their website. “This is for Heather Heyer, Corey Long, Deandre Harris, ICE abolition, open borders, dismantling the prison industrial complex and ending the settler colonial system. We will confront fascism, anti-semitism, islamophobia, white supremacy and state violence on August 10-12.”Last years "Unite The Right" rally turned deadly when 32-year-old Heather Heyer was killed after 20-year-old James Alex Fields Jr. plowed his car into a crowd.This year, rally organizer Jason Kessler is claiming that things will be different. “This year we have a new purpose,” Kessler said of the White Civil Rights Rally. “That’s to talk about the civil rights abuse that happened in Charlottesville, Virginia, last year.”Despite the alleged "civil rights abuse," BLM activists are continuing to stand against both the fascist and racist agenda of the rally. “We are stronger than they are, that they are resistant to change and to progress that Black Lives Matter has been doing over the last four years with black liberation and fighting racism and fascism,” said Makia Green of Black Lives Matter D.C. “So it's important that we let D.C. and rest of the world know that we are not going to stand for the hate.”Now, check these out:10 Times Black Women Shut Down White SupremacyPolice Are The Real Problem: Why We Must Address Systemic Police MisconductFlorida Cop Claims Police Chief Had Him Frame Two Innocent Black...

Court documents filed by the American Civil Liberties Union have revealed the extent of the Memphis Police Department’s surveillance of local activists.The ACLU originally filed the lawsuit in March 2017 believing the department had been illegally spying on activists, but this week’s statement of undisputed facts shows the spying went far beyond what was previously suspected.According to Citylab, the force began spying on local activists at the request of Mayor Jim Strickland. However, officers soon began spying on the associates of those activists as well. The department also began using plainclothes police officers to infiltrate black community events that had nothing to do with political protest, like a black food festival.The lawsuit largely focuses on a “City Hall Escort List” the police created to track activist who stepped on the city hall’s grounds.The surveillance was originally centered on people appearing on the "City Hall Escort List," a list comprised primarily of Black Lives Matter supporters who had protested at City Hall. The list also featured these BLM supporters' "associates in fact," a group that included people connected to the supporters on social media  or who had been seen in public with them. In addition to spying on these people, the department also compiled “joint intelligence briefs.”These briefs were essentially dossiers on planned anti-police brutality demonstrations. The department included demonstrations taking place outside of Memphis in these reports, and shared them with Tennessee's Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. military, the U.S. Department of Justice, local utility companies and with both FedEx and Autozone.The court documents also found police using social media software, a fake Facebook profile and undercover officers to spy on BLM activists and supporters.A trial is scheduled in August. However, the ACLU wants the judge to cancel that trial and render a decision based on the submitted information. It also wants an the enforcement of a 1978 consent decree that banned the surveillance of activists.“If the decree didn’t exist, there may be a different approach to calling out this kind of surveillance,” said Thomas Castelli, director of the ACLU’s Tennessee division. “It’s problematic and can have chilling effects on people exercising their constitutional rights. Police in general have a tremendous amount of power and they can have a coercive effect, so we would be condemning these practices as bad for free speech and public policy.”Memphis Police Director Michael W. Rallings released a statement on Tuesday defending the force’s actions, reports Local Memphis.“Monitoring these public social media posts is simply good police work, which has allowed us to make operations plans to protect both demonstrators and counter-demonstrators, keeping everyone safe without violence,” Rallings wrote. “I want to be clear: my officers have never interfered with anyone lawfully exercising their First Amendment rights. In fact, MPD has gone out of its way to ensure all demonstrations, even unlawful, unpermitted ones, are allowed to move forward, from the 2016 bridge protest, to Valero, to the statue protests, Antifa, KKK and Confederate 901."City Chief Legal Officer Bruce McMullen also defended the spying.“MPD's observance of posts made on social media is consistent with best practices of law enforcement agencies across the country and is nothing more than good police work,” he wrote. “The city is confident MPD's social media practices do not raise any constitutional issues. Furthermore, we have been in compliance with a fair and practical interpretation of the consent decree for almost forty years."Now, check these out:FBI Declares 'Black Identity Extremists' Newest Domestic Terrorism ThreatMan Considered FBI's First 'Black Identity Extremist' Speaks Out After Being Jailed, In Part, Over Facebook PostNewly Released Documents Show FBI Used Stakeouts And Informants To Follow Black Lives Matter...

No mother should have to bury their child, but that has become the norm for many black mothers across the nation. Seventeen-year-old Antwon Rose Jr. was buried Monday, June 25, on the birthday of Tamir Rice, who was shot and killed by a police officer in 2014 at the age of 12.On June 19, Rose was shot in the back three times by police officer Michael Rosfield in East Pittsburgh as he fled during a traffic stop.Hours after an exclusive ABC interview in which Rose’s mom said the police murdered her son “in cold blood,” the funeral was held at Woodland Hills Intermediate School in Swissvale, Pennsylvania. Rose would have been a senior next year.NBC News reports hundreds gathered to honor the short life of Antwon Rose Jr. and pay their respects to his family.Mourners pay their respects as #AntwonRose II is laid to rest at the McKeesport & Versailles Cemetery. @PGVisuals @PittsburghPG pic.twitter.com/r6fcphkhgr— Antonella Crescimbeni (@AntonellaCres) June 25, 2018Included in the funeral program was the poignant poem the talented teen wrote in 2016, titled, “I Am Not What You Think!” He wrote, “I see mothers bury their sons. I want my mom to never feel that pain.”The program for the funeral service of #AntwonRose. On the back, a poem he wrote in his Woodland Hills High School English class: “I Am Not What You Think.” @905wesa pic.twitter.com/izDOf9CvDW— Katie Blackley (@kate_blackley) June 25, 2018 The Chicago Tribune reports Muslim minister Victor Muhammad assured mourners Rose’s life and death are “part of a perfect storm meant to bring about justice for all and social progress in America.”Although the funeral was a celebration of life, following the service, Rose's cousin, Missy Carter, declared justice would prevail by any means:“My cousin’s life will not be in vain! Will not be in vain. Will not be in vain. I don’t care who, what, where, justice will...

Peak blackness is in full effect and this is not without rhyme or reason. Since our colonial existence, blackness in America has been rooted in lies, violence and erasure that is no longer acquiesced. Right now, we’re loving us for real. Such like the blackest historical eras, today's movements seem to have officially traded conformity for resistance. But, how woke are we--really?In the name of equality, identity and liberation, we call out the whitest lies that shape American holidays like Independence Day, Christopher Columbus Day and the southern-celebrated Robert E. Lee Day. Yet and still, many of us know nothing of, nor celebrate Juneteenth.Juneteenth became a thing when Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger, an army soldier-turned Union General, arrived in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, to announce slavery was eradicated per Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. The bizarre part? Slavery had already ended--two and half years earlier. On this day, approximately 250,000 enslaved blacks became aware of their free status.The delay occurred for a combination of reasons: Firstly, slaveholders in the deepest parts of the south--Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana--had gotten the memo beforehand, and just as the “economy” was changing, made the exodus to Texas to protect their “assets.” Secondly, as part of the confederacy, the Lone Star state was least governed, and had a small preoccupation of Union soldiers to enforce political changes during the Civil War. Thusly, Texas was the last to concede. Third, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter did not exist. Fourth, like racist people in 2018, racists in 1865 wasn’t shit.Nonetheless, upon hearing the news of slavery’s end, newly emancipated black people danced, shouted and praised the high heavens in the street. They communed over food and libation. In the following years, they commemorated the day with prayer, reflection, music, fun and games. Think family reunion. The mass fete featured foodstuff specific to slavery and black culture--and the central focus was around a firepit. Think “barbeque.”And like many events, which involves black joy, black congregation, black people being free--Juneteenth celebrations were subjected to white tyranny. Jim Crow laws prevented blacks from gathering in public white spaces. Think: white woman calls police on two black men for barbecuing in a park. However, in the spirit of black excellence, Reverend Jack Yates, a former slave and minister, led an initiative to raise $1000 for ten acres of land in Houston, Texas, to keep Juneteenth live and kicking. Think: Oakland residents electric slide all over the park where white lady called the police on black men barbecuing. The land was named Emancipation Park and still exists today. Won’t we do it?The story of Juneteenth is a testament of how black history can be suppressed and unfortunately lost. It confirms that we must be our own documentarians. Though the black community breathes life into American history with every breath, it is equally important to keep our past experiences alive. We owe it to ourselves and our ancestors.In honor of Juneteenth, below are a few deets on some of the blackest Museums across the country--including some really dope ones that are often slept on--to get a thoroughly comprehensive look at African American history, while supporting Black institutions as well:National Museum of African American History and Culture: NMAAHC, located in Washington, D.C., opened its door in the September 2016. The institution is dedicated to Black history and culture from early slavery till the present. The Emmett Till exhibit is a must-see.National Civil Rights Museum:Lorraine Motel, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968, is a historical landmark and main feature of this Memphis, Tennessee museum. The institution also acquired the building the lethal shot came from.Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History:The historic library opened in 1921 as a result of Jim Crow laws, when black people had limited access to books. The library’s focus today is documenting and digitizing African American history, and providing education through programming and art.Apex Museum:According to the website “The APEX Museum is the only museum in Metropolitan Atlanta solely dedicated to telling the rich and often untold story of people of the African Diaspora.”Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History:The Wright, as it is called by local Detroiters, has the “Still I Rise” exhibit that shares Black people’s transition from Africans to African Americans. Unique to this showing is the incorporation of Detroit history. The slave ship exhibit and its audio component will shake visitors to their core. The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture:The Schomberg is located in the heart of Harlem, New York. The library was founded in 1925 and began with the collections of Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, a Puerto-Rican born, black scholar. The institution is acknowledged as the leader in the exclusive focus of African and African American culture, history and experience.National Great Blacks in Wax Museum:This Baltimore wax museum offers a comprehensive history of black Americans through sculptural art. Their replication of the middle passage is skillfully executed as it is impactful; the same goes for their exhibit on lynching and castration of Mary Turner.Afrikan Poetry Theater:For 40 years, this cultural nook has contributed to the black community by presenting African and African American history through Black Arts. The theater has hosted the performance and readings of The Last Poets and Amiri Baraka, during the Black Arts and Black Power movements. Today, it continues to offer and educate through performance and youth programming.Dusable Museum of African American History:In Chicago, the Dusable is the go-to institution for art, history and research on all things black culture. It was started in 1961 by an educator and art historian, Dr. Margaret Burroughs and prominent residents of the Second City. Its namesake is Jean Baptiste Point DuSable. The Haitian of African and French descent, established the trading post and permanent settlement that is now known as Chicago.The National Memorial for Peace and Justice:Is the newest and only African American museum dedicated to the memory of enslaved, oppressed and lynched black people. This museum pays homage to their lives and struggles, and honors their deaths.Whitney Plantation Museum:Is located in Wallace, Louisiana, and opened its door in 2014. The plantation has a 262 year history and houses the only museum in Louisiana that centers slavery.International African American Museum:This Charleston, museum focuses on South Carolina’s role in the international slave trade, Civil War and the contributions of black people. The state received and sold more enslaved African captives than any other.Happy Juneteenth, my...