Today, we lift the beautiful Spirit of #WakieshaWilson, whose life was stolen 8 years ago by guards inside LAPD Metro Detention Center. Wakiesha was a loving mother, daughter, niece and community member. Authorities never bothered to inform the family of Wakiesha’s death, leaving her mother searching for her for four days before she learned that she was dead.
Since 2016, BLMLA has been working alongside the family to demand justice in Wakiesha’s name. This afternoon, join the demonstration in her honor and plug in to the work to pass “Wakiesha’s Law,” a federal family notification policy, being introduced to Congress.
All month long, be inspired by Divine Black Women honored daily on IG @blmgrassroots, and plug in to do the righteous work of Black liberation.
The life of beautiful Black healer, daughter, niece, loved one, and ray of sunshine - #BreonnaTaylor - was stolen by police in Louisville, Kentucky on March 13, 2020. As word slowly spread around the world, Black women, especially, felt a collective piercing wound. We were reminded of the words of honored Ancestor Zora Neale Hurston who stated that “Black women are the mules of the world.” But Divine Spirit and Breonna Taylor reminds us that…the world may try to make us into mules, but BLACK WOMEN ARE DIVINE.
Since 2020, Black Lives Matter Grassroots has called for a reclamation of Black women’s divinity. This has taken shape in the form of community honors, celebrations, and acts of love. Black Lives Matter - Los Angeles will host our annual arts, healing and love festival on Sunday, March 17th at Norman O. Houston Park…with performances by Aloe Blacc, Aja Monet, our own Yazmin Monet Watkins, and Kayo, and more, healing services, including: reiki, massage, acupuncture, and spiritual counseling, healthy delicious lunch, gifts, and outpourings of love…all free for Black women, girls, and femmes. People who are not Black women are invited to show their love by bringing gifts, volunteering, and spending the month loving up on the Black women in your own lives.
All month long, be inspired by Divine Black Women honored daily on IG @blmgrassroots, and plug in to do the righteous work of Black liberation.
An unprecedented number of Black leaders and organizations have come together to issue a list of demands for justice during the global pandemic.
Research indicates that Black people are suffering disproportionately from COVID-19. The needs of our community are specific and immediate, so this list of demands for changes both in immediate response and structural realities is crucial in the struggle for justice.
It’s almost never been as important to demand #CareNotCops as Chief Michel Moore equates people peacefully protesting injustice with the four murderers who ended the life of #GeorgeFloyd.
Los Angeles needs a people’s budget that will dial back the LAPD raises padded into the three billion dollars Moore wants while vital services and programs see employees furloughed and lose funding.
When their officers literally get away with murder, they want more money and the things we need — clean air, arts programs, wildlife protection — get the short end of the snub nosed revolver.
On November 23, 2020, Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles convened a community forum to receive recommendations and comments on what expectations Los Angeles County residents have for the newly elected District Attorney. A multi-platform synchronous meeting was held, with an in-person engagement of key constituents, additional stakeholder participation through zoom, and public participation through Facebook Live. Foundational to the meeting were the commitments set forth by DA Gascon, in the February 18, 2020 document “George Gascon’s Plan to Ensure Policing in Los Angeles County is Fair and Just” and the campaign document, “Big Issues: My Positions at a Glance,” as well as stances offered in previously non-public communication with BLMLA organizers.
Both the priority commitments offered by DA Gascon and the expectations derived from the community meeting are included. This list of commitments, expectations and considerations is not exhaustive, but meant to serve as a starting point.
Black Lives Matter Los Angeles and the Museum of Social Justice have partnered to curate an outdoor art exhibition. Black artists were invited to imagine a world without police. The exhibition documents the Black Lives Matter movement and illustrates what Los Angeles could be without policing and other carceral systems. The exhibition seeks to amplify the movement’s policy demand: to reclaim the billions of dollars that systems of law enforcement drain from Black communities and invest those resources in community-driven, life-affirming systems of care and services that truly keep us safe.
Visitors are invited to contribute to the community altar, a sacred space for Black men, women, and children who have been killed while in police custody. Bring a photo, candle, flower, or other item of personal significance to add to the altar.
Walk the black carpet and take a photo as you dream of a world where Black people can flourish.
