“I grew up in a world of Officer Friendly. It was just the image I had.”

American civil rights activist and podcaster

DeRay Mckesson is an American civil rights activist, progressive podcaster, and former school administrator. He is known for his work in the Black Lives Matter movement and for public advocacy around police violence. Mckesson took part in the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, and Baltimore, Maryland, and has used social media to speak about activism and public policy. He also wrote for HuffPost and The Guardian, helped launch Campaign Zero with Johnetta Elzie, Brittany Packnett, and Samuel Sinyangwe, and now works with Crooked Media as host of Pod Save the People.