DeRay Mckesson
DeRay Mckesson | |
|---|---|
.jpg) DeRay Mckesson in 2016 | |
| Born | July 9, 1985 |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Bowdoin College |
| Occupation | Activist |
DeRay Mckesson (born July 9, 1985[1][2]) is an American civil rights activist. He is a member of the Black Lives Matter Movement,[3] which organizes protests that center on African-American people.[4] Mckesson is known for his activism via social media outlets such as Twitter and Instagram and has been active in the 2014 Ferguson, Missouri and 2015 Baltimore, Maryland protests.
Mckesson has also participated in discussions and has written for the Huffington Post.[5][6] He, along with fellow activist Johnetta Elzie and WeTheProtestors.org,[7] 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.[8]
On February 3, 2016, Mckesson announced his candidacy to the 2016 Baltimore mayoral election.[9]
Career
Mckesson graduated from Bowdoin College in 2007, with a degree in government and legal studies.[10]
Prior to becoming a full-time activist, Mckesson worked as the head of the Human Resources Dept (renamed Human Capital) in Minneapolis Public Schools, the largest school district in Minnesota.[11]
On March 4, 2015 he announced via Twitter that he had quit his job and had moved to St. Louis.[12] In late 2015, he was a guest lecturer at Yale Divinity School. In November of the same year, Mckesson spoke at the GLAAD Gala, where he discussed his life as a gay male and asked LGBT people to "come out of the quiet."[13][14]
Controversy
In June 2015, Mckesson was the focus of a Twitter campaign while he was in Charleston, South Carolina to protest the Charleston church shooting.[15] The campaign featured the hashtag "#GoHomeDeray", which was accompanied by statements demanding that Mckesson leave the city.[15][16] 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.”[17]
Mckesson has been criticized by Philadelphia's Caucus of Working Educators, and by DC City Council candidate Drew Franklin for his affiliation with Teach for America.[18][19]
See also
References
- ^ Jay Caspian Kang (May 4, 2015). "'Our Demand Is Simple: Stop Killing Us'". New York Times.
- ^ McKesson, DeRay. "deray mckesson". twitter. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
- ^ Cherie, Ariel (March 26, 2015). "#BlackLivesMatters Activists Make Fortune's World's Greatest Leaders List". New Pittsburgh Courier. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
- ^ "South Carolina reflects on Walter Scott killing: 'The flag of white supremacy still flies on our statehouse'". The Guardian. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
- ^ Siede, Caroline. "Activist DeRay Mckesson masterfully shuts down Wolf Blitzer". Boing Boing. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
- ^ Mckesson, DeRay; Packnett, Brittany; Elzie, Johnetta. "An Open Letter From Ferguson Protesters and Allies". The Huffington Post. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
- ^ Marusic, Kristina. "This Map Of Police Violence Aims To Create A Path To Justice". MTV. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
- ^ Pearce, Matt; Lee, Kurtis. "The new civil rights leaders: Emerging voices in the 21st century". LA Times. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
- ^ Mckesson, DeRay. "I Am Running for Mayor of Baltimore". Medium. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
- ^ "DeRay McKesson '07 participates in 'principled protesting' in Ferguson". Bowdoin Orient. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
- ^ Graham, David A. (May 2015). "Beyond Hashtag Activism". The Atlantic. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
- ^ Holleman, Joe. "Protester DeRay Mckesson has moved to STL". STL Today. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
- ^ "#BlackLivesMatter Protester Deray McKesson to Teach at Yale". Mediaite.com. September 11, 2015. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
- ^ "DeRay Mckesson Wants You to Come Out of the Quiet". The Advocate. December 24, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
- ^ a b Walters, Joanna. "DeRay Mckesson at centre of #GoHomeDeray Twitter storm". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
- ^ Callahan, Yesha. "Social Media Hatemongers Create #GoHomeDeRay Directed Toward Activist DeRay McKesson During Visit to Charleston, SC". The Root. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
- ^ KAUFMAN, SCOTT ERIC (June 22, 2015). "#BlackLivesMatter activist DeRay Mckesson on #GoHomeDeRay hashtag: It's proof "racism is alive and well" in America". Salon. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
- ^ Caucus of Working Educators. "An Open Letter to DeRay Mckesson". Jacobin Magazine. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
- ^ Franklin, Drew. "The Movement Lives in Ferguson: Teach For America, Black Leadership, and Disaster Capitalism". Black Agenda Report. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
