Deray McKesson: The New Face of Black Civil Rights

When a recent anonymous social media post started a complaint against todays black civil rights leaders- you know, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton- I quickly responded by telling Mr. Anonymous that those guys are former black civil rights leaders. If Bernie Sanders is looking for a voice to help him through his political challenge, he might want to employ the lead of the group that keeps challenging him.

Deray McKesson is the face and the most eloquent voice of the new black civil rights movement, BlackLivesMatter. As McKesson was arrested yesterday in Ferguson while questioning the arrest of an associate who joined him to film and tweet yesterday's protest live as it occurred, he noted that, "The police have weaponized blackness", pointing out the aggressive posture that they often take against black lives and black causes.

"You see a group of white men with actual weapons but no response to them", referring to a group called the Oath Keepers who are an anti-government militia that showed up with weapons yesterday near certain businesses, apparently to protect them from potential looters. 

Missouri law does allow for open carry but excludes the ability to point a weapon in an aggressive nature, though using them in a vigilante scenario might be a test of open carry laws that we've all been anxiously expecting, before and after George Zimmerman was acquitted for taking the life of Trayvon Martin.  The first case of vigilante groups killing a protester or a looter could test our social acceptance towards gun ownership much like crazed movie theather shooters have finally done.

In a two minute MSNBC interview, McKesson took aim at the absurdity of police with tainted vision towards blacks, open carry laws, the future of the movement and the necessity for recognition of how institutionalized these problems truly are, taking an encouraging dig at the agents invested in change who often grow weary and fall off over the long haul.

McKesson seems to be answering one of those divine calls.  He gave up a teaching career, took his savings and headed to Ferguson in the midst of the rioting to begin to teach in a whole new way.  If you are looking for the direction of this #blacklivesmatter thing, you should be listening and learning from the new face of the only black movement we've got.

Deray McKesson. Get to know him.

"Damaging a building is not the same as killing or hurting a human being."

"We don't have to condone the pain of people to understand them."

"Broken windows are not broken spines."  

"Freddie Gray will never return but the windows will."

#blacklivesmatter