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avatar for DeRay McKesson

DeRay McKesson

Activist
Baltimore, MD
DeRay Mckesson  is  a  protestor,  activist,  and  educator  focused  primarily   on  issues  of  innovation,  equity  and  justice.  Born  and  raised  in  Baltimore,   Maryland,  he  graduated  from  Bowdoin  College  and  has  advocated  for  issues   related  to  children,  youth,  and  families  since  he  was  a  teen.  DeRay  has  served  as   an  educator,  student  leader,  and  founding  director  of  an  after-­‐school/out-­‐of-­‐ school  program.  He  has  also  provided  leadership  to  the  executive  teams  of  two   large  urban  school  districts.  Spurred  by  the  death  of  Mike  Brown  and  the   subsequent  protests  in  Ferguson,  Missouri,  DeRay  has  become  a  leading  voice  in   the  effort  to  confront  the  systems  and  structures  that  have  led  to  the  mass   incarceration  and  police  killings  of  black  and  other  minority  populations.  The  co-­‐ founder  of  the  Protestor  Newsletter  and  Campaign  Zero,  DeRay  has  worked  to   connect  individuals  with  knowledge  and  tools,  and  provide  citizens  and  policy   makers  with  commonsense  policies  to  end  police  violence.  As  a  civil  rights   activist,  DeRay’s  work  has  had  national  impact  -­‐  leading  Fortune  Magazine  to   name  him  one  of  2015’s  50  World’s  Greatest  Leaders,  and  the  New  School  to   award  him  an  honorary  doctorate  in  2016.