According to history as written by the New York Times Magazine, Johnetta Elzie — aka ShordeeDooWhop — is the “other” founder of the #BlackLivesMovement, along with the much higher profile DeRay Mckesson, who has recently been seen all over the Capitol lobbying senators for Campaign Zero, a multi-pronged effort to regulate law enforcement nationally and thus end police brutality against minorities.
Today, though, Mckesson is teaching his second session of a one-credit course at Yale Divinity School entitled “Transformational Leadership in the Black Lives Matter Movement,” and Elize is there. If you’d like to follow along, your first reading assignment is an article called “In Defense of Looting.” (Don’t tell anyone, but we’re going to copy Elize’s notes.)
I'm back in @deray's class @ @yale today. The topic now is "In Defense of Looting" http://t.co/635g2S0Ztb pic.twitter.com/fJM8B69boE
— Johnetta Elzie (@Nettaaaaaaaa) October 3, 2015
Interesting to hear folks with privilege discuss looting/rioting.
— Johnetta Elzie (@Nettaaaaaaaa) October 3, 2015
"The way we look at property in black hands vs white hands. You wanna talk about looting, you're looting my brothers"
— Johnetta Elzie (@Nettaaaaaaaa) October 3, 2015
"If you put me in a cage you're damn right I'm going to break some glass"
— Johnetta Elzie (@Nettaaaaaaaa) October 3, 2015
It kills me to hear people characterize Ferguson as looting & burning when it was only 1 or 2 days out of hundreds of others. @Nettaaaaaaaa
— Merriman (@Merriiman) October 3, 2015
Recommended
"Looting for me isn't violent, it's an expression of anger"
— Johnetta Elzie (@Nettaaaaaaaa) October 3, 2015
"It is interesting this connection between capitalism and racism"
— Johnetta Elzie (@Nettaaaaaaaa) October 3, 2015
"To not give, is to steal from the poor"
— Johnetta Elzie (@Nettaaaaaaaa) October 3, 2015
"the act of looting is political. another way to dissolve consent. pressing you to no longer keep me out of this space, by destroying it"
— Johnetta Elzie (@Nettaaaaaaaa) October 3, 2015
the conversation is now around/unpacking "Jesus was a protester"
— Johnetta Elzie (@Nettaaaaaaaa) October 3, 2015
"Jesus himself was a member of a minority group. He was poor. He was an enemy of the state"
— Johnetta Elzie (@Nettaaaaaaaa) October 3, 2015
"we haven't talked about how women participate in patriarchy"
— Johnetta Elzie (@Nettaaaaaaaa) October 3, 2015
Insert collective sigh of disappointment here.
Second day of this session is over with @deray @ @yale. Wonderful robust conversation today re:Theory of Protest pic.twitter.com/jAIAPqYXRs
— Johnetta Elzie (@Nettaaaaaaaa) October 3, 2015
If you feel like you missed out and would like a copy of the class syllabus, it’s available on the Yale Divinity School website as a Word document.
(Hat tip: David)
* * *
DeRay Mckesson meets with Sen. Elizabeth Warren to talk #CampaignZero, praises her sincerity
Cozy: While in Washington to #FeelTheBern, #BlackLivesMatter founders meet with Valerie Jarrett
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