DeRay Mckesson
DeRay McKesson (born 1985 or 1986[1]) is an American civil rights activist. He is a member of the organization We The Protesters, which organizes protests that center on African-American issues.[2] Mckesson is known for his activism via social media outlets such as Twitter and Instagram and has been active in the Ferguson, Missouri and Baltimore, Maryland protests.
In March 2015 the Los Angeles Times named him one of the "new civil rights leaders" for the 21st century.[3] Aside from social media Mckesson has participated in discussions on CNN with Wolf Blitzer and has written for the Huffington Post.[4][5] He, along with fellow activist Johnetta Elzie and WeTheProtestors.org,[6] launched “Mapping Police Violence", which collected data on people killed by police during 2014. Mckesson and Elzie were awarded the Howard Zinn Freedom to Write Award in 2015 for their activism.[3] They were also named to Fortune‘s “World’s Greatest Leaders List” for their work with the Black Lives Matter Movement.[7]
Prior to becoming a full-time activist Mckesson worked as a school administrator in Minnesota.[8] On March 4, 2015 he announced via Twitter that he had quit his job and had moved to St. Louis.[9] He graduated from Bowdoin College in 2007.[10]
In June 2015, Mckesson was the focus of a Twitter campaign while he was in Charleston, South Carolina to protest the Charleston church shooting.[11] The campaign featured the hashtag "#GoHomeDeray", which was accompanied by statements demanding that Mckesson leave the city.[11][12] Mckesson responded to the hashtag, stating that he was there as a sign of solidarity for the nine deaths and that the hashtag was proof that “Racism is alive and well in places like South Carolina, and in towns across America.”[13]
See also
References
- ^ Jay Caspian Kang (4 May 2015). "'Our Demand Is Simple: Stop Killing Us'". New York Times.
- ^ "South Carolina reflects on Walter Scott killing: 'The flag of white supremacy still flies on our statehouse'". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
- ^ a b Pearce, Matt; Lee, Kurtis. "The new civil rights leaders: Emerging voices in the 21st century". LA Times. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
- ^ Siede, Caroline. "Activist DeRay Mckesson masterfully shuts down Wolf Blitzer". Boing Boing. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
- ^ Mckesson, DeRay; Packnett, Brittany; Elzie, Johnetta. "An Open Letter From Ferguson Protesters and Allies". Retrieved 1 May 2015.
- ^ Marusic, Kristina. "This Map Of Police Violence Aims To Create A Path To Justice". MTV. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
- ^ Cherie, Ariel. "#BlackLivesMatters Activists Make Fortune's World's Greatest Leaders List". New Pittsburgh Courier. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
- ^ GRAHAM, DAVID A. "Beyond Hashtag Activism". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
- ^ Holleman, Joe. "Protester DeRay Mckesson has moved to STL". STL Today. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
- ^ "DeRay McKesson '07 participates in 'principled protesting' in Ferguson". Bowdoin Orient. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
- ^ a b Walters, Joanna. "DeRay Mckesson at centre of #GoHomeDeray Twitter storm". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
- ^ Callahan, Yesha. "Social Media Hatemongers Create #GoHomeDeRay Directed Toward Activist DeRay McKesson During Visit to Charleston, SC". The Root. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
- ^ KAUFMAN, SCOTT ERIC. "#BlackLivesMatter activist DeRay Mckesson on #GoHomeDeRay hashtag: It's proof "racism is alive and well" in America". Salon. Retrieved 24 June 2015.