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Three local artists explain how the Black Lives Matter movement has inspired their work. Salisbury Daily Times

In June, Mural Arts Philadelphia established the Philadelphia Fellowship for Black Artists to help fund, foster and elevate the important work of local Black artists.

Taj Posc, 25, one of 20 fellows in the program, describes his work as optimistic and reflecting the idioms every cloud has a silver lining and being on cloud nine.

But on his Instagram account, youll also spot artwork that reflects our troubled times.

He painted Misunderstood: Black Angel, a week before Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man was shot and seriously injured by a police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in August. Posc's painting included the same number of bullet wounds seven as Blake suffered.

It is strange to me that it amounted to the same number of bullets in his body, Posc said of his painting. It almost feels like being a Black male, it doesnt matter how good or excellent you are or how good of a person you are. These kinds of things can happen to you at any moment of time.''

Traffic stops, walking home from the store, going for ajog and many other things people do every day have ended with the fatal shootings of unarmed Black people all across the country.

Such incidents birthed the Black Lives Matter movement and inspire not just protests, riots and counter-demonstrations, but some of the most urgent art being made today.

George Floyd died in May after a Minneapolis police officer kept his knee on his neck for nearly nine minutes after detaining him, sparkingworldwide protests.

More protests came in September when news broke thattwo of the three Louisville police officers involved in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor, 26,would not be charged and the third was indicted for shooting into neighboring apartments, but not Taylors death.

Like Posc, artists across the country responded the way knowbest, not with signs and slogans, but with paintbrushes and acrylics, cameras and film, ink and paper.

A portrait of Trayvon Martin, made using Skittles by local Collingswood artist Courtney Newman.(Photo: Photo courtesy of Courtney Newman)

In this time of reckoning over racial injustice, we asked artists actors, musicians, poets and others from throughout the Mid-Atlantic regionto reflect on how the Black Lives Matter movement has inspired their work and how they use art to pay homage to those whose lives have been cut short.

A Black mother cradles her dead son on her lapas she stares sadly and blankly ahead. They are on the Magnificent Mile in Chicago, a busy, beautiful place, seated near a bed of flowers. His shirtless body appearslifeless and his long legs hang down over hers.

Brooklyn, New York, resident Jon Henry, a visual artist working with photography and text, had his work Stranger Fruit,depicting contemporary Black mothers and their sons in poses reminiscent ofMichelangelo's "The Pieta, in an exhibit last month at Big Day Film Collectivein Collingswood.

Visual artist Jon Henry is shown at his "Stranger Fruit" exhibition which ran from Sept. 1-30 at Big Day Film Collective, a new gallery art space in Collingswood. His project depicts the modern day African American mother and child echoing the form of The Pieta and was created in response to the killing of unarmed Black men by police.(Photo: 2020 Jackie Neale @jackiephotog)

Begun in 2014, Henry'sproject was created in response to the senseless murders of Black men across the nation by police violence, Henry says. Even with smart phones and dash cams recording the actions, more lives get cut short due to unnecessary and excessive violence. Who is next? Me? My brother? My friends? How do we protect these men? Lost in the furor of media coverage, lawsuits and protests is the plight of the mother. Who, regardless of the legal outcome, must carry on without her child.

The spark that ignited the project was lit much earlier.

I was very affected by this as it was happening throughout the years, but really in 2008, was the verdict with the Sean Bell murder. Sean Bell was the young man who was murdered at his bachelor party in Jamaica Queens (in 2006).

All three police officers indicted in the Bell killing were acquitted on all counts.

Henry photographed mothers with their sons, some of them young men, in their own environment, reenacting what it must feel like to endure this pain. The mothers in the photographs have not lost their sons, but understand the reality, that this could happen to their family.

Jackie Neale, who is White, is director and lead photographer at Big Day Film Collective, a new gallery art space she opened in Collingswood, after moving back to New Jersey from Brooklyn in December.

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A Cherry Hill native, Neale speaks to the emotional power of Henry's referencing of Michelangelo's iconic work, which depicts the body of Jesus on the lap of Mary after the Crucifixion. This is very familiar imagery and hes using this as a device to connect with people and how people revere the iconic graphic nature of that positioning, said Neale, who will host more exhibits and other events inher gallery.

Photographer Jon Henry is shown at his "Stranger Fruit" exhibit at Big Day Film Collective, a new gallery art space in Collingswood. His work was created in response to the senseless murders of black men across the nation by police violence, he says.(Photo: 2020 Jackie Neale @jackiephotog)

Henry said after these tragedies, protests, sometimestrials, what comes next for the families? Thats where the project really gets its legs from and really focuses on the mothers," he said.

Theres this big message and that is that law enforcement is saying you dont have any rights to fight back when youre being confronted,'' reflected Neale. "Theres an impotence there. If our work can be that vehicle that can cross that impotence, then that has to be available and its very powerful.

Keisha Finnie was roughly 30 miles east of York, Pennsylvania, and immersed in a protest after Floyds death.

The self-taught artist in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was bouncing around ideas with other creatives and the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design about what they could do to shed light on the situation.

More: Young South Jersey activists lead the way in protests, fight for racial justice

When words cant be spoken, art is there to create a visual, Finnie said.

A collaborative effort produced the Say Their Names piece, a collage that features cutouts of the faces and names of Black people whose lives were taken at the hands of law enforcement. The artwork is a mobile workFinnie says will migrate to different Lancaster businesses like a silent protest.

George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland and more photos make up the "Say Their Names" art piece.A collaborative effort, the collage features cutouts of the faces and names of Black people whose lives were taken at the hands of law enforcement. The mobile artwork will migrate to different Lancaster, Pa., businesses like a silent protest.(Photo: Michelle Johnsen)

Finnie didnt stop there, though. Her latest projects surrounding the Black Lives Matter Movement have helped her grow as an artist, she said.

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She also asked local photographers to donate their imagesof protesters, and those faces, signsand people make up Ampersand. The life-sized symbol is in PCAD Park,only steps away from the Lancaster City Bureau of Police Department.

Diversity.

Resilience.

Las Vidas.

These words are plastered on the sculpture and are surrounded by cropped photos of chanters, demonstrators and activists who have dedicated their time rallying for Black lives.

The "Ampersand" sculpture is not only a tribute to protesters, but it also on steps away from the Lancaster City Bureau of Police Department.(Photo: Jasmine Vaughn-Hall)

[The movement] has made me more conscious of the work that Im putting out and [Im] creating work that means something to me or that I know other people will resonate with, Finnie said.

Eileen Berger, 67, owner and director of Just Lookin Gallery in Hagerstown, Maryland, opened her business specializing in original art by Black American artists 25 years ago. Through Nov. 3, she is presentingThe Challenge of Change: Civil Rights in America,featuring25 artists and roughly 70 works.

Preston Sampsons Losing My Religion, a piece made of shell casings, is gaining attention at Just Lookin' Gallery's exhibit, "The Challenge of Change: Civil Rights in America." Tje exhibit opened Aug. 22 at the Hagerstown, Maryland gallery and runs through election day on Tuesday, Nov. 3.(Photo: Photo provided)

Berger said the exhibit is a history lesson and political statement.

I think now is the right time to get people to understand a little bit more. I like political statements; I wont pretend I dont, Berger said. This is probably my 12th or 13th Civil Rights show.

Berger said the show, which includes pieces by Charly Palmer, Preston Sampson, Eli Kince, Wesley Clark and Evita Tezeno, was planned to open in November. That was prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and beforeFloyds death. I moved it up because sometimes you have to be topical about whats going on in the world, Berger said. The show is historical, but it is also right now.

Berger, who is white, grew up in Washington, D.C., in a neighborhood full of people with different colors, races, nationalities than me. That was my whole life. I was part of the Civil Rights Movement in the late 60s, she said.

More: Going dark: South Jersey's arts groups fight to survive impact of COVID

Response to the exhibit has been encouraging.To people who already have an affinity for art, they have more time to explore, she said of the pandemic-restricted times we are living through.

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But Berger believes the greatest support for the exhibit has nothing to do with a virus.

Just Lookin' Gallery's exhibit, "The Challenge of Change: Civil Rights in America", opened on August 22 at the Hagerstown, Maryland gallery and runs through election day on Tuesday, Nov. 3. This piece is called "Vote Any Way."(Photo: Eileen Berger)

There is a huge increase in awareness of disparity between Black and white right now, she said. Art is a way of hopefully opening up more peoples eyes. I always say, Lets start a dialogue.

"We have a really ugly history in this country,'' she said."At this age, I am not so disillusioned that I dont think we cant have a more beautiful future. Let me do what I can do.

Philadelphia native Courtney Newman, 31, has been creating art since he was in elementary school.

The Collingswood artist uses interesting objects to create his art, which he lets speak for him.

Newman incorporated about 3,600 Skittles to create a piece of art of Trayvon Martin, the teen killed in Florida by neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman in 2012. Martin had had an iced tea and a pack of Skittles on him when he was fatally shotafter a scuffle with Zimmerman.

That was just a three-dimensional thing, Newman said. I used Skittles because of that situation. Then I did Malcolm X and Martin Luther King with bullet casings.

Courtney Newman poses with two of his art pieces depicting Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. in Pennsauken, N.J. on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. Newman used bullet shell casings as a medium for the pieces.(Photo: JOE LAMBERTI/COURIER POST-USA TODAY NETWORK NJ)

I do art, thats what I do,'' said Newman, who also has done more straight-forward work to honor George Floyd. "I have epilepsy, so the working thing is a little slow. Art was my thing since when I was little.I do it for me and still try to make money off of it.

Rochester, New York,nativeShawn Dunwoodystarted his career in fine art, creating assemblage pieces thatdepicted the struggles of theAfrican American community.

But heset a new course.Hemoved backtothe citysNortheastside, which has a high concentration of poverty, and began creating colorful murals with positive messages. Hisgoalwas to bea role modelforBlack youth.

"I think it's important," he said. "The intent and the heartiscoming from aBlack man in America."

The City of Rochester often seeks outDunwoodywhen itneedsan artist.After Washington, D.C., painted a street with Black Lives Matter,Rochester officialsapproached Dunwoody about doingsomething similar . He agreed to take on theproject, butproposed takingit a step further. Thecity agreed with his vision.

Local Rochester, N.Y. artist Shawn Dunwoody and volunteers, paint the amphitheater at Martin Luther king Jr. Park, to allow visitors to write messages as part of the Black Lives Matter movement.(Photo: JAMIE GERMANO/ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE)

His canvas was Dr.Martin Luther King Jr.MemorialParkat Manhattan Squaredowntown, the focal point of many Black Lives Matter events. During two summer days he, along with some volunteers,paintednearlyeverysurface of the sunken concrete amphitheater withmatte black paint. In the middle he painted the Black Lives Matterfist symbol.

It was the largest art installation inacitythathas a thriving public art scene.Dunwoody called it, The Empire StrikesBlack.

More: How Daniel Prude suffocated as Rochester police restrained him

He placed bucketsofchalk for people to express themselves. Peopledrawpictures,write messages andpoetry. Theypost their creationson social media.Music videos have been shot in the space.

Local artist Shawn Dunwoody directs some volunteers who are helping him paint the amphitheater at Martin Luther king Jr. Park, black, to allow visitors to write messages as part of the Black Lives Matter movement. (Photo: JAMIE GERMANO/ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE)

Its almost like looking at theworld itself, Dunwoody said. It may look chaotic andcrazy but ifyou take your time andindividuallylook at each one, you can find deep meaning and connections to people.

The space is anamphitheater, he explained. Itismeanttoamplify voices.

Posc, who has family in law enforcement and the military, was raised with the notion to look after his siblings, which he still does, including a younger brother who is a postal worker and one who is incarcerated.

Taj Posc is among 20 artists in the Philadelphia Fellowship for Black Artists, a program established by Mural Arts Philadelphia.(Photo: Photo provided)

"I talk to them the same, whether its in a letter or on the phone, he said. I think I have a pretty good head on my shoulders as a young man, but my parents still have the same conversations with me. They constantly check on me, ask me, Did you get in the house?' "

One of his most recent works features a Black baby dressed as an angel soaring in the clouds. Its something he was inspired to paint while reflecting on a trip studying abroad in Rome.

I saw a lot of supernatural afterlife and these ideas of life after and what we experience. But all the pictures that I saw were pictures of white cherubs or Caucasian people, he said.

He sees progress within the arts in regards to the Black Lives Matter movement, but believes more can be done.

There has been a lot of growth in the last few years in terms of Black artists and representation and what is exposed and whats not. But I think it is up to the artists of the time just to continue to create truthfully, he said.

Shanel Edwards, 25, is a queer, non-binary, dancer, photographer, directorand poet.

Edwards, whose work centers on Black Queer Femme-hood,learnedabout the history of the Black Lives Matter Movement while at Temple University.

Artist Shanel Edwards is among 20 fellows in the Philadelphia Fellowship for Black Artists, a program established by Mural Arts Philadelphia.(Photo: Photo provided)

There was a lot that I was learning about myself and the world. It was really painful, it was really disgusting, but also beautiful and life changing. So I think in that way the more visible Black experience isBlack pain, Black joy, all of those thingsthe more its changing Black people in particular. I think with that, my artwork became more centered in who I was and who I am and who I am becoming and evolving into every day.

"Black folks have lived through incredible trauma and upheaval. Thismay be the wildest time of our lives. Our lineage and our ancestors have experienced things that we can never imagine....And all of our Black artists are doing what we can to survive and that shows in our work.

In Asbury Park, New Jersey, Alexander Simone, grandson of music legend Nina Simone, released the song Fight the Fight, and helped lead a Floyd protest in the city in June.

The track was originally written four years ago with things going on in Baltimore, Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, that's when the track originated but its like a timeless track, Simone said. When all this started happening again, it resurrected the lyrics. I felt it was time.

Alexander Simone in Asbury Park on June 1, 2020.(Photo: Leon Fields)

Nina Simone's Civil Rights songs, including Mississippi Goddam and To Be Young, Gifted and Black, are classics.

So PROUD of my son, said mom Lisa Simone on Instagram. His grandmother is nodding in approval, too!! The family legacy continues.

Also at the Jersey Shore, hip-hop musician Chill Smith re-released his track Reverse Racism, and shot a new video for it, too.

I think what's happening is people are tired, everybody's tired of this, said Smith in June. I think a lot of allies have reached out to people in the community they know to try to uplift their voices. That's why the song has resurfaced, which makes sense.

National acts in the region are speaking up, too. Bronx rhymer Kemba laid out the conflicting nature of today's world, specifically when it comes to policing, on his Kill Your Idols, released three days after the Floyd death. Philly's Meek Mill reported from the Otherside of America in a powerful track that includes a sample of a Trump speech.

Cisco Soto and Miles Murdaugh were at a crossroads following George Floyds death. The Washington Winnona Images partners were uncertain about attending and photographing a protest forming in downtown York, Pennsylvania.

Murdaugh saw fire trucks along the streets and unraveled fire hoses spread along the sidewalks earlier in the day.

He thought, "Have we learned nothing?''

Cisco Soto and Miles Murdaugh are happy they captured an iconic event in York, but they know more can be done to put the narratives of minority communities at the forefront.(Photo: Washington Winnona Images)

The thoughtreferencedthe racial turmoil that boiled over in York in the late 60s, claiming two lives.

Continued here:
Black Lives Matter movement has impact on artists - and they have our attention - Courier Post

Black Power is a bi-weekly editorial column that explores how the Black community can use their collective power to design a new America.

In America, when kids enter elementary school, one patriotic ritual is required. Students are expected to stand tall, place a right hand over their heart, face the flag, and then proudly recite the pledge of allegiance.

While gazing innocently at the stars and stripes that signify our national banner, kids of every color proceed to utter the words of a tagline deeply woven into the fabric of this country: One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Yet, the irony of such a command is that while it is mandatory for each student to make this declaration, it is not mandatory for the nation to honor this promise in return. Or, to quote the brilliant Black intellectual James Baldwin, It comes as a great shock...to discover that the flag to which you have pledged allegiance...has not pledged allegiance to you.

While the fight for a reformed legal system dates back several decades, the notion of justice lost nearly every ounce of credibility amongst Black Americans within the past three years. Since the tragic shooting death of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old unarmed Black boy senselessly killed while walking through a suburban Florida neighborhood, a haunting nostalgia of racism and systematic injustice forcefully positioned itself at the forefront of peoples minds.

His image was made strikingly clear: Trayvon was as a Black teen of semi-athletic stature, wearing a dark hoodie, carrying a pack of skittles. Yet, if you take a second glance over that depiction, you quickly realize the description, which spread virally and stirred endless debate, was not very clear at all. Especially because his appearance was presented by both police and the public as criteria used to classify Trayvon as a threat to George Zimmerman, the shooter, who claimed to kill Martin in self-defense after feeling endangered by the suspicious looking teenager.

As the long-awaited verdict inched closer, hopes were high for the Martin family and their supporters, though the results remained uncertain. The evidence appeared unconvincing. The applied motive appeared desperate. The action showed signs of a cowardly defense to an untreated ignorance.

Despite the perceivable optics following a formal trial, intense protests, nationwide marches, televised rallies and federal petitions to convict Zimmerman of murder Martins killer was ultimately acquitted of all charges. Thus, adding fuel to an ever-burning fire that continues engulfing the belief in a fractured justice system.

Following the fatal shooting of Mike Brown, the city of Ferguson became a treacherous battleground for militarized police waging war against passionate protesters standing in defense of a declared injustice.

For months, tear gas and bullets flew, businesses were destroyed, and emotional screams flooded smoke-filled skies. Headlines recounted the arrests of everyone from scholars and journalists to kids and demonstrators. Some spent hours in jail, while others spent several weeks.

As tensions grew, the Missouri city issued a No-Fly Zone for the media to limit coverage of the happenings, likely resulting from real-time accounts of officers forcefully occupying and evacuating areas where hundreds relentlessly rallied for one arrest to be made.

Unsettling footage quickly surfaced of the deceased teenager lying in the street, face down, entrenched in his own blood with multiple gunshot wounds. His body became a public display for members of the community to witness another promising kid gone too soon.

Since the video went viral, a series of debates immediately ensued. On one side, there were questions as to the motive behind shooting Brown why he was shot instead of apprehended, and analyzing the protocol of a trained officer in such a situation. On the other side, there were questions surrounding the personal character of Brown if he was indeed a thief, marijuana abuser and troubled student.

Police accounts of the scuffle between Brown and Darren Wilson positioned the unarmed teen as the aggressor, attacking Wilson in his cruiser, giving the officer no option but to discharge his weapon in self-defense. While more statements were released and speculation persisted, the most important conversation remained locked in a vault protected by the principles of privilege and history. There was an evident, although unspoken, reason Brown was instantly labeled a threat, which is the same reason Wilson was not, and was ultimately acquitted for the killing.

For many, white privilege is merely a myth. Hearing it discussed amongst distinguished intellectuals and scholars is often interpreted as reactive speech to somewhat prehistoric realities of racism. Instead of enhancing the universal perspective of injustice and inequality, the attempts to elevate awareness land as misinformed lectures void of applicable lessons. Consequently, a substantial percentage of the population classifies dialogue about white privilege as imaginary and irrelevant, finding no merit in addressing an ideology that seemingly has no tangible traits.

Instead, we revel in the countless advancements in technology that seamlessly connect cultures and cause racial lines to appear less visible. Emerging generations are praised for identifying with shared interests and values instead of skin color. The appointment of Barack Obama perceivably showed that achievement is not an impossible aspiration for anyone, regardless of race. The global dominance of hip hop culture has led to people from all walks of life uttering the realities of Black America while mirroring the lifestyle, speaking the language and embodying the aspirational spirit.

The growing list of Black moguls paints a picture of wealth and access that young Black men and women feel is possible to acquire in their lifetime. All things considered, tremendous strides have been made. Yet, when examining the critical categories that still dictate the value of a Black life in this country, very few things have changed. For context, lets examine two notable examples of exercised politics and privilege that produced similar outcomes.

The Bloods and Crips, referred to as two of todays most notorious gangs, are largely credited for the demise of Americas inner cities. Theyve been commonly pinned as criminalized cliques that rob, steal and murder senselessly. However, while exiled as dangerous and misguided kids from abandoned communities, these once powerful alliances were initially birthed out of the need to protect and preserve the human rights of Black Americans.

In a time when predominantly Black neighborhoods were subject to frequent ambushing from ill-intended whites, gangs formed as proactive solutions to defend against unlawful attacks because the police refused to patrol their blocks. It wasnt until countless factories closed down and drugs took centerstage in conjunction with the White Flight Movement, referring to the mass relocation of whites from inner cities to suburban areas, that the perception and function of street gangs shifted.

The same state government that honored these groups for their service to the community suddenly stripped their distinction. There was no longer a direct adversary to fight. Rather, in the face of rapid unemployment and socioeconomic disparity, Black people began seeing each other as the enemy. Lacking resources and access to equal opportunity, poverty prevailed. As a result, the privileged escaped the grasp of turmoil while further avoiding accountability for their part in causing a socioeconomic plague.

In the prime of the 1960s, during an era of heightened solidarity amongst civil rights groups such as The Black Panther Party, issues of inequality surrounding education, employment, and the judicial treatment of Black Americans were approached with diligent action. These organizations developed independent programs for kids to receive proper schooling, healthcare, food, shelter and other essentials inaccessible to underprivileged Blacks. Exercising their constitutional rights, they spoke out against evident injustice, while rightfully bearing arms.

Yet, instead of state officials working in unison to develop necessary reform or negotiate proposed plans to provide equal rights, these groups were declared domestic terrorists. The active police chief of the Los Angeles Police Department enforced an official mandate to arrest, imprison and subsequently inflict violent force to exterminate all incompliant Black Americans who refused to follow the principles of privilege.

More notably, the standing police chief intentionally recruited members of the Ku Klux Klan from southern states, along with active military serviceman and trained veterans. Their armor and weapons were upgraded with military tactics implemented to govern designated cities.

Though decades ago, the same framework exists today in a climate that has seen a multitude of innocent Black people killed.

Since the Civil Rights Movement, it has indeed been a long walk to freedom. For African Americans, achieving justice is a gruelingly tiresome and treacherous uphill conquest that continues testing the seemingly unbreakable endurance of a people frequently denied equal rights at the expense of further suffering from the residual effects of a hate-driven history.

As more races and cultures blend, the perception of privilege gets lost in translation, becoming associated strictly with wealth and opportunity, steering away from its role in perpetuating racism. As rap reaches even greater heights, its images of inner city struggle, crime and violence serve as just reasoning for racial profiling and the disparities in mass incarceration.

Justice blesses the rich, honors the privileged, and unflinchingly punishes the poor. Its built on age-old principles that stem from slavery, very slightly deviating from such separatist ideals. Weve watched as George Floyd, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Mike Brown, Jordan Davis, Breonna Taylor, and many other innocent victims lose their lives at the hands of inexcusable negligence and violent force. Once again families torn, races divided and our nations justice system fails to uphold its pledge of allegiance.

As a result, despair and disappointment have plagued the Black community so much that Black pain has become commonplace in the press. Seeing endless tears fall from the face of a terrified mother now stands as a signature shot circulating on daily news headlines.

Lets check the track record. When turmoil strikes subjugated communities in traditionally segregated cities across America, we point to disparities in access and resources. When young Black people find their identity in a lifestyle of criminal activity out of the inherent desire to feed their family, we point to messages in music and the outcomes of gang life. But, we classify this as a fault of misguidance and stupidity, not privilege. Or, when unarmed Black people are killed by trained police officers, we point to prejudices of threat and Black rage. But, we consider this the fault of Black America, not the mechanics of racism in America. Yet, what the vast majority fails or refuses to realize is that privilege is not a physical battle of Black against white, its a socioeconomic and ideological war of politics and power.

What the deaths of Mike Brown and Trayvon Martin taught America about justice is that it doesnt exist. Not for all. Not the justice that rightfully protects Black people who were killed by law enforcement on video. Not the justice that acknowledges the atrocities that accompanies a police officer killing an unarmed 12-year-old boy. Not the justice that takes into account the influence of classism and privilege, as it relates to prejudice and discrimination.

As a people, we have to define what justice is for ourselves and stand firmly on that understanding. We must keep working to establish a system that takes into account moral principles, not conservative religious principles. We must activate our power and influence to put people in political positions that can reshape the current infrastructure with a vision for evolving America into a country where every perspective counts. We must humbly invest in educating people about the multifaceted Black experience, staying authentic and showing the progressive images that are often intentionally overlooked.

Until we refresh our outlook, the illusion of justice will continue casting a looming dark cloud over the promise and potential of Black America.

As long as the scales of justice are imbalanced, the next Mike Brown or Trayvon Martin can make millions in the NBA or start a billion-dollar tech company, but can just as easily end up dead or in jail, while the next Darren Wilson will be empowered to determine the ending to his story more importantly being alive to tell it.

See more here:
What the killings of Mike Brown and Trayvon Martin taught America about the fight for justice - REVOLT TV

Sybrina Fulton, political activist and mother of the late Trayvon Martin, will speak to University of Miami students at 6 p.m. on Oct. 8. in the virtual fifth installment of What Matters to U, a discussion series hosted by UMs Student Government.

We wanted to bring someone that would really highlight whats been happening in the world, someone who would be able to adequately address those social issues, said Spencer Schwartz, the chair for The What Matters to U Agency, formerly known as the Student Engagement Programming Agency.

Past speakers have included former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, two-time world cup champion and co-captain of the U.S. Womens National Soccer Team Megan Rapinoe, actor and comedian Ken Jeong and television personality and scientist Bill Nye.

Schwartz says that UMs Student Government made a concerted effort to address issues such as the Black Lives Matter movement and other platforms for social change.

I was floored when I heard, said Student Government president Abigail Adeleke. This is the exact speaker we need at this time, especially with so many things happening and the third rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. I am just so excited.

Fulton has spent the years since her sons death campaigning for political reform and against gun violence.

Most recently, Fulton lost a bid to be elected Miami-Dade commissioner to Miami Gardens Mayor Oliver Gilbert. He won the the Aug. 18. election by less than one percent with 331 votes.

Fulton, who was endorsed by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Sen. Cory Booker, has been a social activist since her son Trayvon Martin, who was born in Miami, was killed by neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman in February, 2012. Zimmerman was later acquitted as the jury ruled the killing an act of self defense. At the time, the event sparked national protests, discussions about race and was one of the earliest deaths that have become driving forces of the Black Lives Matter movement.

One of the things that started and invigorated the Black Lives Matter movement was the death of Trayvon Martin, Adeleke said. She was almost the mother of the movement.

A month after her sons death, Fulton started The Trayvon Martin Foundation, an organization that seeks to provide emotional and financial support to families who have lost a child to gun violence, according to the Foundations website.

The What Matters to U agency faced criticism last year when they brought in Republican governor and 2016 presidential candidate John Kasich, however, Schwartz says that starting conversation and debate is part of the organizations goal.

I know that the John Kasich event and this event may seem, politically, to be on opposite ends of the spectrum, Schwartz said. From our perspective, theyre actually quite similar in that they are people that have a mission, that have a vision for the country, and we are solely just the avenue they are using to spread that.

Adeleke says political optics never entered into the decision.

This is so important right now, its not a left or a right issue. Its a human rights issue, she said. It was a no brainer because we knew this was the right thing.

Although Fulton will not be speaking to a packed auditorium like past speakers because of COVID restrictions, Adeleke emphasizes the presentation will not be presented as a typical online talk.

Were doing something very different from your traditional Zoom webinar, she said. Although Adeleke is not able to reveal the details of the plan yet, she says that it will be a unique experience. It will be something we have never seen before.

Featured image provided by What Matters To U.

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Sybrina Fulton announced as What Matters to U speaker - The Miami Hurricane

The Black Lives Matter movement first arose in the aftermath of the shooting death of Trayvon Martin and the acquittal of George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer who killed 17-year-old Martin in an Orlando suburb in 2012. This year, the movement grew to involve people in every city in the country, fueled by the furor over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Of course, the fight for equal rights and treatment for Black Americans has been waged for centuries, and todays activists are building on the accomplishments of countless civil rights leaders of past generations. Then and now, New York has been home to many of the most prominent Black individuals who have taken up the cause.

Today, City & States Black 100 list, created in partnership with Stephon Johnson of the New York Amsterdam News, recognizes many of the Black New Yorkers who are making a difference in politics legislators championing criminal justice reforms, groundbreaking candidates for elected office, advocates and policymakers evening the playing field, and, of course, the activists who have taken to the streets in recent months to stand up for their rights.

Assembly Speaker

Silence is golden a maxim Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie has long adhered to wlohile working to further the Democratic agenda. The Bronx lawmakers largely successful tenure includes this years package of police reform bills the biggest noncoronavirus story of the year, which put Heastie, the first Black leader of the chamber, in a spotlight that he largely seeks to avoid.

State Senate Majority Leader

Rent regulation. Reproductive rights. Bail reform. Protecting the states LGBTQ community. Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the first Black woman to serve as the state Senate majority leader, is making sure the voiceless have a voice and that no New Yorkers are left out when it comes to policy. And while there were concerns early on that Republicans might win back a few seats this fall, theres now a chance that her conference secures a veto-proof supermajority.

State Attorney General

Letitia James spent 2020 battling two of Americas most powerful and polarizing names: Donald Trump and the National Rifle Association. She sued the Trump administration for policy reversals that threatened to deport international students and moved to force the Trump Organization to comply with an investigation into its financial dealings. Shes also suing to dissolve the NRA after accusing the organization of financing illegal activities.

Chair,House Democratic Caucus

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries continues to vocally oppose President Donald Trump, despite failing to oust him from office through impeachment. Last year, the Brooklynite introduced bills targeting police brutality a prescient focus given the spate of high-profile police killings this year. The fifth-ranking Democrat in the House and a key member of House leadership, he is a valued voice in battling against the conservative agenda.

Brooklyn Borough President

Whether speaking out against police brutality or gentrification, Brooklyn Borough President and New York City mayoral hopeful Eric Adams makes sure his voice is heard. But he also courted controversy this year when he said hed be a law-and-order type of mayor who would eschew a security detail by carrying a gun himself an early salvo in what promises to be a contentious campaign.

New York City Public Advocate

Jumaane Williams has made a name for himself in 2020 as a fierce critic of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. He expressed disappointment over how the mayor handled anti-police brutality and anti-racism protests, filed an opposition to law enforcement unions efforts to block the repeal of 50-a and backed teachers on a possible strike before the mayor pushed back the beginning of the school year.

Assembly Majority Leader

Last year, Crystal Peoples-Stokes pushed for marijuana legalization and helped pass legislation that gave tax breaks to senior homeowners with limited income. This year, the Assembly majority leader advocated for attacking the COVID-19 pandemic head on, addressing racial conflict and confronting the states economic troubles. She also helped pass legislation providing aid to her hometown of Buffalo to strengthen commercial districts via repairs and other kinds of enhancements.

President,1199 SEIU

1199 SEIU President George Greshams advocacy for frontline workers many of whom are Black and brown cannot be ignored. Hes called out private, for-profit nursing homes for not providing essential workers with enough personal protective equipment during the pandemic, fought against possible layoffs of workers at other nursing facilities, and chastised state Department of Health Commissioner Howard Zucker for doubting that health care workers were short on PPE.

Founder and President,National Action Network

When talking about activism and politics, its usually not long before Rev. Al Sharptons name comes up. Fighting for social justice and against President Donald Trump is all in a days work for Sharpton. The rise of the Black Lives Matter movement saw Sharpton take on a prominent role, lending his gravitas and voice to the era-defining protests, as exemplified by his impassioned eulogy at George Floyds funeral.

New York City First Lady

Chirlane McCray isnt just the first lady of New York City shes also one of the most trusted advisers to her spouse, Mayor Bill de Blasio. And while the de Blasio administration is facing an array of challenges and only has 15 months left to carry out its goals, McCray is well-positioned for a potential run for Brooklyn borough president, which could keep the boroughs leading power couple in power.

Originally posted here:
The Power of Diversity: Black 100 | CSNY - City & State

GALESBURG Fred Britton Jr. received a warning from his father one day in the fall of 2005.

His father, Fred Britton Sr., had worked 32 years for the Galesburg Street Department and countless hours maintaining his house and yard. But by the time he called his son that day, he was using a walker after spending the past 14 years on dialysis. His health was failing, and he had a message to give his his eldest son while he was still able.

He called me to come over to his house and said I need to talk to you., recalls Britton Jr. As soon as he called, I said Im on my way. And I went.

He said, I need you to pay attention. Im not going to be here to see this, but the worlds about to go through a change, Britton Jr. remembers his father saying.

Minorities have been in the pressure cooker all our lives, Britton Sr. explained to his son. The white people are gonna start going through what were going through and they wont be able to handle it.

Britton Jr. said his dad was referring to white people losing their jobs in a changing economy.

Theres going to be a shift, he said. Youre gonna start seeing Blacks speak up.

Theres gonna be certain people who arent going to be able to deal with that, Britton Sr. told his son. Innocent people are going to lose their lives over skin color.

Britton Jr. said his dad wanted him to relay the message to his two younger brothers, Clay and Jon.

He was always like that. He was going to give you that wisdom for life.

Britton Jr. believes hes witnessed his fathers premonition come to pass.

Warnings became realized

Some seven years after Fred Brittons message to his son, Black teenager Trayvon Martin, who was walking in Sanford, Florida, was shot fatally by Neighborhood Watch volunteer George Zimmerman. One month after the shooting, rallies took place in cities across the country protesting the killing and the police departments handling of the case. Black people were speaking out.

Travyon Martin was a kid, Britton Jr. said. The police told him (Zimmerman) to stand down and he pulled a gun out on him (Trayvon).

On July 13, 2013, Zimmerman, charged with second degree murder, was acquitted. That verdict helped spur the Black Lives Matter movement. According to Pew Research Group, the first use of Black Lives Matter in a Twitter hashtag was used July 13, 2013. By March 2016, the hashtag had been used 11.8 million times as use of force by police became a national topic in light of the death of African-Americans Eric Garner in New York City and Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.

Browns death had a local connection as Knox College womens basketball player Ariyana Smith on Nov. 28, 2014, protested his death at the hands of a Ferguson Police officer. As the Star Spangled Banner played prior to Knoxs game at Fontebonne University in Clayton, Missouri, about 12 miles from Ferguson, Smith left her team and stood beneath the flag with with a raised fist. She knelt and then collapsed on the gym floor until the song was finished.

The Black community is frustrated, Britton Jr. said. When is this going to end?

The Black Lives Matter movement continued to grow, according to Pew. The hashtag blacklivesmatter was used an average of 3.7 million times per day in the week that followed the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, May 25. Videos emerged showing Floyd dying in police custody as a police officer applied pressure to Floyds neck with his knee for 8 minutes and 15 seconds.

The killing caused nationwide protests.

Theres more people speaking up, and I thank God for that, Britton Jr. said.

He said his father prepared him for lifes ugliness. He told me it was going to be like this.

Britton Jr. said he was not shaken by President Trumps response Tuesday night when he was asked to condemn white supremacists during the presidential debate.

Proud Boys, stand back and stand by, Trump eventually said.

Proud Boys, according to the USA Today, is a far-right group with a history of violent confrontations. While the group says it is not a white supremacist group, the Southern Poverty Law Center has designated Proud Boys as a hate group.

I wasnt surprised, Britton Jr. said. I wasnt surprised at all.

Britton said Trump was basically saying: If I dont get what I want, Im going to light this fuse and you gonna see hell.

Was Britton angry?

Its hard to be angry about these things when you come to expect it, he said.

When you have a leader who doesnt speak on certain issues, such as police brutality against minorities, you empower white supremacists, Britton said.

On May 1, 2006, months after making his prediction to his son, Fred Britton Sr. died.

When he told me, I didnt tell a lot of people, Britton Jr. said. People werent in the mindset to deal with it. Now I talk about it all the time.

Learning his fathers rules

Britton Jr., 59, says his father helped prepare him for the world.

Youre as good as anyone, Britton Sr. told his son, but its going to be a lot harder with this Black skin.

Wearing a T-shirt that said Only God can judge me, Britton Jr. sat on his back deck Sept. 24 talking about his father and growing up in Galesburg.

He was attending Cooke School on the south side of Galesburg when the Galesburg School District started busing students. Britton Jr. and some of his neighborhood friends found themselves at Lincoln for middle school.

In Galesburg, all the busing was on the south end, he said. Half the bus to Lincoln, half to Gale (school). My first year I was the only Black student in the 4th grade.

It was a big culture shock. Im going to an area where Black people didnt go.

He remembers asking his mother, Why are they staring at us? It was the adults who were staring, remembers Britton Jr. Kids dont see color.

It was a great experience, he said but there was tension.

My father had us so prepared about how to conduct ourselves.

Britton Sr. advised his sons to keep your eyes and ears open when youre around (white people).

Also, he warned them them to be careful about who they were with.

Theres always going to be trials and tribulations in life, he told them. Be careful about who you surround yourself with.

He always taught us youre going to have to be 10 times better (than white people).

And Britton Sr. told his sons they must work hard.

By the time Britton Jr. was nearing high school graduation, he was working at a food service job at Cottage Hospital. Since then hes nearly always had a job including a stint in the Army. For the past 25 years he has worked as a food dietitian at Henry Hill Correctional Center in Galesburg.

He says his mother, Louise, and his father provided stability.

My dad was at the head of that dinner table every day. Every day. Not everybody has that structure, he said.

Britton Jr. believes many young people dont have that person at home who can prepare them for life.

I can look at certain people and tell if theyve had a structure to help them survive. Someone had to teach you how to be productive and how to adapt.

Britton Jr. has tried to impart his fathers lessons to his son, Jaylen, and daughter, Asia.

"I told my kids, I want you to see the real world.

Theyre grown and have moved away: Asia to Springfield, Illinois, and Jaylen to Springfield, Missouri. He and his wife, Christine, divorced, and Britton Jr. is engaged to Grace Loveless.

Pulled over by a state trooper

The real world still means watching what you say and how you say it.

At 6 p.m. one night in January, Britton Jr. was driving from Galesburg to Good Hope to buy some tables. His fiances father, David Parker, was along to help load them in Britton Jr.s Honda Ridgeline.

As they were traveling south on U.S. Route 67 they passed an Illinois State Police car in the median. Britton Jr. said he was driving right at 65 mph, yet the state trooper pulled him over.

Britton Jr. knew to keep his hands visible, his license and insurance ready. He also slipped off the hoody sweatshirt he was wearing.

Britton Jr. noticed the officer shining a flashlight at the rear license plate as he walked to the drivers window.

The officer told him the letter B designating the license plate for a Class B vehicle was not visible on Britton Jr.s back plate. Road salt had eroded the letter Briton Jr. later discovered. He checked with local the drivers facility to find its fairly common occurrence for truck plates.

Because it was dark, Britton Jr. wondered whether the B would have been visible from the median anyway.

The trooper asked Britton Jr. where he was going. Then he asked where he was coming from.

I said, Henry Hill.

He said, I dont know where thats at.

How would a state trooper not know about the prison? Britton Jr. wondered. The state police are the law enforcement that respond to incidents at the prison.

I dont want to antagonize this man, explains Britton Jr.

The officer asked for Britton Jr.s drivers license and proof of insurance.

Then the officer asked for his prison ID.

Im sitting there in my uniform (from Henry Hill) with a badge. Im a state worker, Britton Jr. says, exasperated, as he tells the story.

I dont think he would ask anyone else that question.

Then the officer asked for Parkers identification.

I was worried about whether I would get maced, shot or drugs put in the vehicle, Britton Jr. said.

However, Britton Jr. was eventually allowed to go on his way.

Britton Jr. said his vehicle had the kind of sporty rims that a lot of gangbangers and drug dealers use. That could have been the reason he was pulled over. He thinks maybe the officer profiled him and thought he was transporting drugs.

I dont do anything illegal, he said.

But Britton Jr. knew not to question the trooper.

I was prepared. I know how to deescalate the situation. How you talk to people will change things. Theres a certain game you have to play in order to survive.

Not saying all police are bad. Not all are good. You better respect that position of authority or youre going to have some drama, he said.

To someday fly the flag

Britton Jr. takes pride in keeping his yard neat along Fremont Street. Its another thing he picked up from his father.

In Brittons backyard he has installed a decorative bell on a pole and an old fashioned water pump with handle. But, as he points out, he doesnt fly the American flag.

What the flag stands for is a beautiful thing, he said. But I dont feel 100% American. America hasnt been very patriotic to all groups of people.

I pray to God one day Ill be able to have one (an American flag), when everybody is treated equally.

Does Britton Jr. think that will happen in his lifetime?

He says he had never expected to see a Black president in his lifetime and that happened in 2008 and 2012 with Barack Obama.

If I live long enough I think I have a chance to see that (equality) now. The world is changing.

Theyre knocking down slavery statues, he said, mentioning the Stephen Douglas statue that was removed last week from the Illinois Capitol grounds because Douglas had owned slaves.

Beyond that, he says more and more people are of mixed race and that aspect alone will continue erode the racism of the past.

You never know whos going to be entering your family.

An equal world would look like heaven, Britton Jr. says.

Heaven is not segregated.

Love is going to win out in the long run.

Original post:
Fred Britton Jr. says his ailing father warned him in 2005 about racial strife we are seeing now - Monmouth Daily Review Atlas