Cassius is taking an in-depth look at Young Icons from around the country. From organizers to artists to students, the folks you will see honored are laying the groundwork for their future—for our future. Through video, photography, interviews and multimedia experiences, we will take you on a journey to get to know these incredible young people who are using their platforms for social justice. You will also learn more about photographers who, through their art, are documenting the movement for the world. Stay tuned to Cassius and our pages for an exclusive look into the lives and careers of these dope activists.
Honoring the icons of today
They’ve got next.
Activists
Photographers
Taji Chesimet
Milan Nicole Sherry
Fresco Steez
Wisdom Cole
Martese Johnson
Nupol Kiazolu
J.D. Barnes
Dee Dwyer
Rob Liggins
Mark Clennon
Cherrell Brown
Next: Milan Nicole Sherry
It is in the legacy of Black power building that the youth answer the call to agitate toward a safer, more just future. Taji Chesimet (he/him/his), 19-year-old co-founder and executive director of Raising Justice, embodies that principle and is organizing his community to answer the call. Like so many young people, Taji’s grown up in what seems like a never-ending reckoning around racial hatred and state violence in this country. But he decided early on that his life will be one of service so that the next generation inherits something better, and more just.
Being passionate about justice is a good entry point, but it's not enough.”
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he/him/his
PROFILE
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In 2013, #BlackLivesMatter was picking up steam, igniting what would become a powerful movement of people organizing in pursuit of justice for Black people. The rallying cry provided an opportunity for collective action, but also collective grieving. At that time, Black people were still reeling from the devastating murder of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, but in August that same year, the Black trans community was also mourning Islan Nettles, the 21-year-old Black trans woman who was brutally beaten by a man on a street in Harlem. In response to Islan’s death, grassroots organizer Milan Nicole Sherry (she/her), created #BlackTransLivesMatter to mobilize people around the violent murders of Black trans women that often go under-reported. Et harum quidem rerum facilis est expedita? Nam libero tempore, cum soluta nobis est eligendi optio cumque nihil impedit quo minus id quod maxime placeat facere possimus, omnis voluptas assumenda est, omnis dolor repellendus. Temporibus autem quibusdam et aut officiis? Debitis aut rerum necessitatibus saepe eveniet ut et voluptates repudiandae sint et molestiae non recusandae. Itaque earum rerum hic tenetur a sapiente delectus, ut aut reiciendis voluptatibus.
A lot of people tend to think about the legacy they're leaving behind. But I'm living my legacy every day."
she/her
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Next: Fresco Steez
In 2013, Black people were still reeling from the devastating murder of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, but in August that same year, the Black trans community was also mourning Islan Nettles, the 21-year-old Black trans woman who was brutally beaten by a man on a street in Harlem. In response to Islan’s death, grassroots organizer Milan Nicole Sherry (she/her), created #BlackTransLivesMatter to mobilize people around the violent murders of Black trans women that often go under-reported.
In 2013, #BlackLivesMatter was picking up steam, igniting what would become a powerful movement of people organizing in pursuit of justice for Black people. The rallying cry provided an opportunity for collective action, but also collective grieving. At that time, Black people were still reeling from the devastating murder of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, but in August that same year, the Black trans community was also mourning Islan Nettles, the 21-year-old Black trans woman who was brutally beaten by a man on a street in Harlem. In response to Islan’s death, grassroots organizer Milan Nicole Sherry (she/her), created #BlackTransLivesMatter to mobilize people around the violent murders of Black trans women that often go under-reported.
When you think about Black culture, a lot probably comes to mind. Art that illustrates our past and present realities, and visions of the future we deserve. Music that can transport us to unknown places that somehow, feel familiar. Symbols and designs that remind us we’re a part of something bigger. Culture is a powerful tool for transformation. Thankfully, there are people like Fresco Steez (she/her), who are honoring the legacy and influence of Black culture by making it an irresistible part of the contemporary fight for Black liberation.
I believe my divine purpose is to use art as a tool of liberation."
Next: Wisdom Cole
The past year revealed a lot about this country and the people who call it home. We saw the power of hatred and greed play out in national politics. We watched millions rendered helpless under a pandemic that ravaged Black, brown and under-resourced communities. But If you ask Wisdom Cole (he/him), national campaign and training manager for the NAACP Youth and College Division, the most poignant thing he witnessed in 2020 I’m sure his answer would include something about the power young Black people have to change this nation and world. A leader in one of America’s oldest and largestCivil Rights organizations, Wisdom and his team are shifting the NAACP’s culture around engaging young people, and the results to-date have been inspiring.
There's a lot of conversations about the problems impacting our communities, but we have to tell young people they have the power to create the solutions."
he/him
Next: Martese Johnson
The past year revealed a lot about this country and the people who call it home. We saw the power of hatred and greed play out in our national politics. We watched millions rendered helpless under a pandemic that ravaged Black, brown and under-resourced communities. But If you ask Wisdom Cole (he/him), national campaign and training manager for the NAACP Youth and College Division, the most poignant thing he witnessed last year, I’m sure his answer would include something about the power young Black people have to change this world. A leader in one of the nation’s oldest and largest legacy Civil Rights organizations, Wisdom and his team are shifting the NAACP’s culture around engaging young people, and the results to date have been inspiring.
Next: Nupol Kiazolu Kiazolu
I’m really passionate about the work, but I’m also thinking about how I can translate this into something else that allows me to make a bigger impact in the long run.”
Now 26-years-old, Martese Johnson rose to prominence after the video of his brutal interaction with University of Virginia police officers went viral in 2015. Now, he’s preparing to enter the next phase of his life, while still learning how to navigate life as a survivor of police violence. The past several years, including the three between the incident and his entering law school, have been about education and preparation for a life of service. But according to him, they’ve also been focused on healing, growth and self-discovery.
Like most students nearing graduation, there’s a particular excitement that arises when you think about finally being done with the rigour of higher education. That excitement was evident in Martese Johnson’s (he/him) voice when he spoke of his upcoming graduation from University of Michigan Law School this year. Now 26 years-old, Martese rose to prominence after the video of his brutal interaction with University of Virginia police officers went viral in 2015. Now, he’s preparing to enter the next phase of his life, while still learning how to navigate life as a survivor of police violence.
Next: Photographers
Multitasking in between classes and settling a younger sibling down to lunch, Nupol Kiazolu is like many in her generation, defying the odds and persisting during crisis. Kiazolu says it feels like her platform has grown overnight despite organizing since she was 12 years old. "I never really expected to blow up in this capacity," Kiazolu told NewsOne. "So it is still something that I'm getting adjusted to." But she says visibility has its challenges. "A lot of times people forget activists and organizers are human beings and we have lives," said Kiazolu. "We [are] already battling our own experiences every single day navigating this world as a Black person in America and as an organizer going up against a system that is meant to destroy them."
People think that all activists are folks that are on the front line 24-7, like me, and that's not the reality. There are many different ways to contribute to this movement.”
she/her/hers
Multitasking in between classes and settling a younger sibling down to lunch, Nupol Kiazolu is like many in her generation, defying the odds and persisting during crisis. Kiazolu says it feels like her platform has grown overnight despite organizing since she was 12 years old. “I never really expected to blow up in this capacity,” Kiazolu shares. “So it is still something that I’m getting adjusted to.” But visibility has its challenges.
New York City
Washington D.C.
Los Angeles
Next: J.D. Barnes
Iconic individuals documenting the movement
For Black History Month, we are
the movement
At the end of the day, I just needed to see the truth, whatever the truth is. Whether it’s violence and degradation or whether it’s joy, love or hatred, the truth deserves to have its day.”
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Next: Dee Dwyer
Q&A
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A lot of the activists who are a part of Black Lives Matter DC are my friends. The least I could do was tell their stories visually, so that the future can see how hard we fought.”
Next: Rob Liggins
The work, really, is learning to stay disciplined in being hopeful—especially as we face things that seem insurmountable like police brutality and racism."
Next: Mark Clennon
The work, really, is learning to stay disciplined in being hopeful—especially as we face things that seem insurmountable like police brutality and racism.”
My baby girl motivates me. When she’s a teenager, I want her to be able to say, ‘Oh, this is what was happening in New York, or this is what the United States was going through when I came into the world.’”
— Milan Nicole Sherry (she/her)
— Wisdom Cole (he/him)
Next: Cherrell Brown
My baby girl motivates me. When she’s a teenager, I want her to be able to say, ‘Oh, this is what was happening in New York, or this is what the United States was going through when I came into the world.'"
Black people have always been at the forefront of dismantling systems that would deny our communities freedom, suffocate our liberation, and distort our visions of a future in which all Black people can exist free from the threats of violence that constantly breathe down our necks. Cherrell Brown, a community organizer and activist based in Atlanta, Georgia, has been in the trenches a long time, from the Deep South, to New York City, to Palestine. Fighting against environmental racism or fighting for prison abolition, Brown has dedicated her life to being in collective struggle with our people. In this video, she discusses how elders gathered her, taught her how to channel her anger, and trained her in the ways of organizing. She also teaches us about the importance of not falling prey to ego or individualism. We will win: Together. Press play to watch Brown share lessons from the ground.
“This isn’t the work of an individual. This is the collective work of communities coming together to do and fight for their liberation.”
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