A biography for DeRay Mckessonhasn’t been written yet.
“I think about freedom as not only as the absence of oppression but also the presence of justice and joy.”
“I think that I, because of student government and because of working in Baltimore, knew how to be creative with very little resources.”
“It is one thing to talk about fundraising and another to do it as a candidate, and I have learned so much about how much money it costs to run a campaign and what it means to raise money.”
“I think about freedom and the urgency around our imagination. If you can't imagine it, you can't fight for it.”
“I think about Twitter as the friend that's always awake. It's why I tweet so much.”
“It's important to acknowledge the danger when we provide an academic venue for racism. It's interesting to hear people push the, quote, 'free speech' narrative in this way. They deny the speech of the people who disagree.”
“People in power make the path to power. It means that we will always get the same system, and it's one that is not necessarily in the interest of people's lives.”
“It is not a new tactic for people to use any avenue they can to silence black activists.”
“I will never forget the first time I was teargassed or the night I hid under my steering wheel as the SWAT vehicle drove down a residential street. I will never forget that it was illegal - in St Louis, in the fall of 2014 - to stand still.”
“I'm not convinced that stealing an iPhone is a felony or stealing a bike is a felony.”
“I have a platform, and I can help. I can be in spaces that reporters will never be in because I'm a protester.”
“We question these issues of race and struggle and white privilege because we know that those issues are real and because those issues have real implications in black communities. And white supremacy is not only dangerous, but it is deadly.”
“I think hope is the belief that tomorrow can be better than today, and I don't lose hope.”
“Most of my life's information is public. I got a text one day from a hacker who texted me all of my credit card information.”
“I'm not desensitized to death.”
“Laws on hate speech and hate crimes do important work in a world that has been rooted in racism and bigotry since the inception of this country, which was not founded on ideals of justice.”
“As a protester, I protested because I had to, not because it was exciting. I don't want to get tear-gassed again.”
“There are people who have demonstrated their willingness to challenge systems and structures, and then when it comes to elections, some of those same people - I don't know where their fight went. What's interesting to me is to see people lose the revolution when it comes to elections.”
“I am excited to return to city schools... and to continue doing the work to ensure that every child in Baltimore City receives a world-class education.”
“For our kids to go to school, they must be alive, and for adults to work, they must not be in jail.”