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Posts tagged as “Mike Brown”

Rapper Nelly Sends Two Kids to College Every Year for the Last 10 Years: ‘Only Way to Elevate Black Community is Education’

By goodblacknews on September 1, 2015

Photo: Joe Raedle/GettyIn the wake of the Mike Brown shooting and Ferguson protests last year, many in the Black community called for Black celebrities to speak out against the injustices shown to their own people. Some Black celebrities rose to the occasion, using social media and TV news outlets like CNN to say their piece.
Others, like Nelly, preferred to move in relative silence and let their actions do the talking. Following the events in Ferguson, the St. Louis rapper came under fire for not visiting the city right away. He eventually visited Ferguson to speak with protesters and created a scholarship fund in Michael Brown’s name.
The scholarship was not merely a sentimental act to honor the slain college student but a part of a strategic plan to help bring change to the Ferguson community in the only effective way he believes he can.
“I try to do it through education because that’s the only way we’re going to get it. The only way we’re going to get this is to elevate,” Nelly explained in an interview with Hello Beautiful just after the Ferguson anniversary on August 9, 2015. “We have to get the kids to go out of these communities. Graduate. Get the knowledge. Come back to the community, and then they can run it because they understand the people and understand the severity of the situation.”
The Mike Brown scholarship isn’t the only act of altruism Nelly has taken in the area of education. He has sent two students to college on scholarships every year for the past 10 years. To critics who have rebuked him for his lack of vocal support for the events at Ferguson, the “Hot in Herre” rapper asserts that sometimes it’s better to do things quietly.

New Yorker Magazine Cover Depicts Martin Luther King Jr., Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin & Mike Brown

By goodblacknews on January 17, 2015
Cartoonist and illustrator Barry Blitt is best known for his work with The New Yorker, and his latest cover for the magazine depicts Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. in a re-imagining of images seen in photos from the Selma-To-Montgomery march events. In the illustration, Rev. King is seen walking —  arms locked — with slain Staten Island, N.Y., resident Eric Garner and fallen NYPD officer Wenjian Liuwith, slain Black teenagers Trayvon Martin and Michael “Mike” Brown in the background.
The image is enhanced due to the inclusion of the American flag behind the marchers, and the serene look on the faces of the figures invites a moment of reflection of what was lost. Blitt was inspired to draw the cover for the New Yorker’s upcoming cover story, “The Dream Of Reconciliation,” because of the Selma marches. With King’s birthday on Jan. 15th, and the upcoming recognition of the civil rights leader this coming Monday, the timeliness of the illustration is noteworthy.
From Blitt and the New Yorker:

“It struck me that King’s vision was both the empowerment of African Americans, the insistence on civil rights, but also the reconciliation of people who seemed so hard to reconcile,” he said. “In New York and elsewhere, the tension between the police and the policed is at the center of things. Like Trayvon Martin and Eric Garner, Michael Brown and Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos, Martin Luther King was taken way too early. It is hard to believe things would have got as bad as they are if he was still around today.”

As the nation continues to grapple with the loss of Martin, Garner, Brown, Liu and his partner Officer Rafael Ramos, there is a collective outpouring of grief and questions that are still yet unanswered. Blitt, in his words, seems to recognize the weight of his art and the inquiries it will surely spark in the days to come.
article by D.L. Chandler via newsone.com

Ryan Coogler, Shaka King, Terence Nance and More Push for #BlackOutBlackFriday in Light of Ferguson Decision

By goodblacknews on November 25, 2014

75Following the announcement that police officer Darren Wilson would not be indicted for the murder of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO, several human rights groups have sprung into action to protest the decision and push back against undue violence at the hands of police.
In the entertainment community, Blackout for Human Rights, a “network of concerned citizens who commit their resources to immediately address the staggering level of human rights violations against fellow Americans,” has been active in the past few months with a series of videos calling for a nationwide boycott of all major retailers this Black Friday, the major shopping day following Thanksgiving.
One hope is that pressure from the community will cause Wilson to be held accountable at a federal level.


The group, which counts filmmakers Ryan Coogler, Shaka King, Terence Nance, Rick Famuyiwa and others among its members, is using the hashtag #BlackOutBlackFriday to put the call out on social media for supporters to participate in “a nationwide day of action for human rights awareness, as opposed to a day of consumerism.”
To watch the first few videos, click here.
article by Jai Tigget via blogs.indiewire.com

Run For Justice: Londrelle Hall and Ray Mills Run 540 Miles From Atlanta To Mike Brown Memorial In Ferguson as Tribute and Peaceful Protest

By goodblacknews on November 25, 2014

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When the news came out about the shooting death of Mike Brown at the hands of police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Mo., many were outraged, heartbroken, and some people just didn’t know what to do. But for Londrelle Hall, 28, and Ray Mills, 29, all they wanted to do was run. The two decided they wanted to go to Ferguson and make a difference. They wanted to protest for and pay tribute to Mike Brown, but also run for black men in general, whose image in the media has been maligned. Mills told NBC News, “Statistically, it seems like in our community we [black men] are incarcerated or doing nothing. We want to go against the grain and not be another statistic, and we wanted to inspire other people to do the same.” Hall agreed, saying “We want to show that people who look like us can be doing something positive.”
Screen Shot 2014-11-25 at 1.38.09 AMRunning in their “Run For Justice” hoodies, the men garnered quite a following on Instagram. Hall has 38,000 followers, and many of those supporters left positive, encouraging messages on their page and even text the men to keep their spirits up. After taking time out of their busy schedules and full-time jobs to train, the men ran and walked for 20 days, doing at least 35 miles a day, no matter the weather, taking their protest and awareness across counties, from state to state. They eventually found their way to Brown’s memorial in Ferguson, where they were met by supporters. Once they reached the spot as rain poured down on everyone, Hall broke down in tears, saying on Instagram, “My Soul Cried.”
It wasn’t easy at all, but Hall says that even though they’ve met their goal, they will continue to run for Brown and for all injustices going on.
“The purpose of this was never forget, but to keep raising awareness of what’s going on around us, so this is not the end. We will still run, not necessarily 540 miles, but we will still run.”
article by Victoria Uwumarogie via madamenoire.com