6 Black Lives Matter Activists Talk Openly About What It’s Like Leading the Fight for Racial Equality
Not all of us are strong enough to step up and lead a movement. You can be passionate about fighting systemic racism and keep the conversation going about creating substantive change, but helping communities do all they can to make a real difference is truly a gift. In the past few months, the Black Lives Matter movement has ignited like never before, and those on the front lines of it have taken control and used their powerful voices to advocate for all Black lives.
Admirable people like Kenidra R. Woods (@kenidra4humanity), 19-year-old activist and organizer from Missouri and founder of The Cheetah Movement; Nialah Edari (@nialahedari), cofounder of Freedom March NYC; Johnetta Elzie (@nettaaaaaaaa), 2015 Ferguson protest leader and cofounder of Campaign Zero; Gia Salustro (@giasupreme), organizer with Solutions Not Punishment Collaborative; Jamila Lyiscott, PhD, (@jamila_lyiscott), assistant professor of social justice education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and senior research fellow of Teachers College, Columbia University’s Institute for Urban and Minority Education (IUME), and author of Black Appetite. White Food; and Nupol Kiazolu (@nupol_justice), activist, organizer, President of Black Lives Matter Greater New York, and Miss Liberia USA.
Cosmopolitan spoke with these incredible Black Lives Matter activists about the upcoming 2020 March on Washington, what it’s like to be driving forces of the movement, and why they do it in the video above and the interviews below. Listen to them. Learn from them. And don’t depend on others to do all the legwork—go out there and make the change happen, because all lives won’t matter till Black lives matter. Period!
When did you realize you needed to hit the streets and protest?
“In January 2014, at the age of 24—my mother passed away from complications from lupus, an illness she had battled for nearly seven years, leaving myself and my little sister, who was only 13 at the time. The next month, my friend Stephon Averyhart was murdered by a St. Louis city police officer just a few miles down the road from Ferguson, off of the Main Street of West Florissant.
“From January to July, I spent a great deal of my time in a fog. Unclear of how to mourn and grieve two such enormous losses in my life, I ultimately decided to focus on grieving my mother’s death and forcing Stephon’s murder deeper into the corners of my mind. Because that’s what Blackness in America seems to be rooted in, weighing up and deciding which trauma to prioritize, if at all possible.
“On August 9, a woman from Missouri, who I’ve followed on Twitter since I made my first account in 2009, tweeted and informed me that she saw something brewing in STL Twitter. Only those first few weeks weren’t a protest—the county of Ferguson was under military occupation by the National Guard and multiple police forces from across the state. The first time I got tear gassed, the first time I got shot with a rubber bullet, those were the moments that made me laser-focused" —Johnetta Elzie
“I realized I needed to hit the streets when there was a continued delay in arresting the cops/people who murdered Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd. When the ethical duty of doing what is right is not enough to move the hearts of those in power, social unrest becomes ‘the language of the unheard.’” —Jamila Lyiscott, PhD
“Police are currently criminalizing and killing us at alarming rates. I am upset, especially with yet another Black man being shot by the police. People are wondering how we can make change happen and [do] it on our own instead of waiting. It’s time. We are protesting, educating, and ready to effect change. Vote 2020.” —Gia Salustro
“I’ve been marching for eight years now but George Floyd’s murder pushed me to take the streets in the middle of a pandemic because, as a Black Woman, I don’t have the luxury to sit home and do nothing when my people are dying.” —Nupol Kiazolu
How do you feel like this moment is different from previous protests?
“Protests have always been a part of our history as Black people and as trans people. We are an innovative generation that is fed up with institutionalized racism and oppression. We now have the opportunity to empower and join forces with those across the world, all at the same moment, through social media and online platforms.” —Gia Salustro
“This movement feels different to me because people from all walks of life are finally coming to a realization of how racism has impacted Black people not just in the United States but across the globe. Gen Z has played a pivotal role in making this the largest civil rights movement in world history! I’m PROUD to be a part of this uprising. No matter how hard it gets, we MUST keep going!” —Nupol Kiazolu
"“I feel that this moment is different from previous protests because the country has been pushed to the brink between the ongoing pandemic and escalating state violence, both of which disproportionately affect Black people. The intergenerational work by activists and organizers to change perspectives is now taking hold, which is why you see more lip service from corporate America because they don’t want bad press. It begs the question though: While there’s a lot of rhetoric, what tangible changes are happening right now?
“That’s why Campaign Zero recently launched ‘Nix The 6’ to specifically examine how police unions are barriers to fundamental change. Our goal is to add to the work being done by so many activists and organizations aiming to expose and prevent the injustices of policing and state violence. ‘Nix the 6’ provides data-driven analysis on how police violence goes unchecked because of police union contracts and the organizations’ political power.” —Johnetta Elzie
“I think social media is making it difficult to hide the atrocities that have always been here. So in this moment, it is difficult to ignore or rewrite a history that we can all see with our own eyes. Prior to this, the narrative was left in the hands of those in power to tell the stories through the lens of a few. Now that media is in the hands of the people, the narrative is shifting. What we have witnessed over the past few months has also made it very clear to millions of non-Black people that the crisis of anti-Blackness is very real. I also believe that the African Diaspora is more connected than we have ever been in the history of our dispersion. This makes this a global struggle against anti-Blackness in new ways.”
—Jamila Lyiscott, PhD
Could you tell us your general thoughts/feelings leading up to the 2020 March on Washington, 57 years after the original?
“I am SO excited to be a part of this uprising! John Lewis was 23 years old when he spoke and participated at the March on Washington. I’m 20 years old and a Good Troublemaker. It’s definitely going to be emotional because he passed the torch to my generation and I look up to him so much.” —Nupol Kiazolu
“History indeed repeats itself. Fifty-seven years ago MLK gave his “I Have a Dream” speech, calling for civil and economic rights and the end to racism in the U.S. We are currently in those same times, demanding justice and equality, acknowledging that there is so much more work to do.” —Gia Salustro
“I hope that this moment in history pushes us to new levels of freedom through the organizing, protests, uprisings, and uprooting of systemic racism woven into the fabric of our nation. The everyday work is crucial and it is happening, but in moments of protests and outrage, in moments when the souls of Black folks swell up in decisive rebellion to disrupt business as usual, that is when the world pays attention and we can all feel deeply in our collective consciousness that a change gon’ come.” —Jamila Lyiscott, PhD
What are your/your organization’s plans for the 2020 March on Washington?
“I begin teaching my fall social justice education courses this week, so I will not be in attendance but send love to all who will be on the front lines in this important way." —Jamila Lyiscott, PhD
“I will be marching with my family from the National Action Network.” —Nupol Kiazolu
“We plan to watch and engage with our community. Every day you breathe is a protest. We have also been doing community education virtually about engaging with the police and what it means to defund the police.” —Gia Salustro
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