Civil Rights Movement: Daring Activists Fight For Black Rights

The fight for social justice continues, as brave and unrelenting activists play huge roles in civil rights movement activities.

At a time when the nation is rife with systemic racism, racial discrimination and police brutality, these brave activists have stayed true to a unified cause: Justice for Black people.

Lisa Tiny Gray-Garcia

Lisa Tiny Gray Garcia is a wonderful Oakland-based activist, co-founder of POOR Magazine/Prensa POBRe and author of Criminal of Poverty-Growing Up Homeless in America. Gray-Garcia fights for the rights of poor Black people who are deemed worthless in the society by the system.  As a speaker, Gray-Garcia realized her right for peaceful protest and demanded  justice for Ezell Ford, Jesse Romero and Donnell Thompson, men of color who were killed by the police.

“Disabled and poor bodies of color like Donnell Thompson and Ezell ford are targeted for a police-fueled gentrification for just living in our neighborhoods and barrios. Children like Jesse Romero are not even seen as children, but rather as criminals by association with our cultures and communities. We must disarm these paid killers (the police) we must take back our neighborhoods and decolonize our minds from the settler colonizer lie of safety and security defined by the peoples who stole this land,” Gray-Garcia said.

Leroy F. Moore

Leroy F. Moore is a staff writer and organizer with POOR Magazine and also a Co-founder of Krip Hop Nation. His work as a part of activist groups can only be applauded, as he passionately fights for the rights of Black unprivileged people who are victims of the system where people of color are oppressed. Moore participated as a speaker at our rally in L.A. earlier this month, as we demanded justice for Ezell Ford, Jesse Romero, and Donnell Thompson, who all died as results of police brutality.

“With Police Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) been on the books since the late 80’s and has spread to cities, we should know by now that we must change the focus from what police need to what the community needs.  These shootings of Black, Brown & yes even White Poor disabled/Deaf people go way beyond police training!  From Margaret L Mitchell in 1999 to today the shooting of Ezell Ford & Donnell Thompson we know that police will continue what they do so we the community must make our neighbors safe without the police,” Moore said.

Gray-Garcia and Moore both flew from Oakland to Los Angeles in order to take part in our rally. They have proven to be unswerving and strong-willed in the fight for Black justice in our nation. They were also joined by Black Matters activist, Nolan Hack, who has been a wonderful and irreplaceable member of our organization.

Omali Yeshitela

Omali Yeshitela is the long-standing participant of various civil rights movement activities, the leader, chairman and founder of the International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement. Uhuru is a word in Swahili which stands for freedom. He was active during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and you can hear the passion of the 60s in Yeshitela to this day. “People want revolution. My religion is revolution,” Yeshitela said. That passion can be felt throughout the entire Uhuru Movement.

In their 25^th annual convention held in Ferguson, Missouri this year, the undying fight for people of African descent both here and abroad was well portrayed. The Uhuru Movement talked about their important causes, such as Africans Charge Genocide and Black Community Control of the Police. Africans Charge Genocide is a campaign to create awareness for the fact that America is still committing genocide against Black people in this country. Black Community Control of the Police calls for the “poor African working class” to hold officers accountable on the basis of police brutality facts and it’s a call for Black citizens to take power in their communities.

Keandra McDole

Keandra McDole is the sister to Jeremy McDole, who was fatally shot and killed by four police officers in September, last year. She is a very strong Black woman, who since the death of her brother, has stood up and fought through thick and thin for Black rights and justice.

Ramsey Orta

Ramsey Orta is a very brave activist, who, as many know,  took the video of the cruel death of Eric Garner, as an NYPD Officer choked him to death. Orta never expected what was going to happen to him after he filmed the incident, which exposed the abuse of police power and inhuman treatment of Blacks by the police. He was arrested and charged by the police, and as a result has to serve a jail term of 4 years which begins on October 3, 2016.

Ash J

Ash J is a writer, a reporter and a brilliant activist who graduated from a journalist school. He always had an interest in the issues concerning violence against people of color, before he joined Black Lives Matter because he believed they had the same goals. It could be stated that his main goal is to fight against oppression and humiliation of Blacks in America. His work is widely appreciated by the  community, as he’s always present when summoned in the fight against injustice.