How law enforcement is using mass arrests, high bail and serious felony charges to suppress local organizing? Originally published on Colorlines. At the height of the presidential primary season in March, about 30 activists gathered at St. Louis’ Peabody Opera House to protest a Donald Trump campaign rally there. One of the activists, Melissa McKinnies, says that even […]
Melissa McKinnies as told to Bakari Kitwana for ColorLines Melissa McKinnies was a Ferguson uprising fixture. It’s for this reason that the St. Louis mother believes that one of her sons was lynched in their backyard. Here are her words. First as a member of Lost Voices and then as an independent activist, Melissa McKinnies has consistently spoken out against […]
Michael Brown Sr. as told to Bakari Kitwana for Colorlines Before Michael Brown Jr. became an international symbol of racialized police violence, he was an 18-year-old who cracked jokes, made music and planned for his future. Here, a deeply personal reflection by his dad on the fifth anniversary of his killing. On August 9, 2014, Black […]