In a recent interview, Kesha Hamilton (Leading with Conviction™ 2021) reflected on the turbulent past year:
“In January of 2023 I found myself as the object of hate, vitriol, death threats and plastered on a Proud Boys flyer. In December of the prior year, 2022, I’d posted on my Twitter [X], ‘Whiteness is so evil.. it manipulates then says, I won’t apologize for my dishonesty and trauma inducing practices and thinks you should applaud it for being honest about it’s ability to manipulate and be dishonest.. #Deceitful #Perfidious’
“My Twitter account had been largely unnoticed as the community I live in is mostly a Facebook community, and I used it (Facebook) more often.
I persist, because I remember the who.
“At the time that I posted this, I was a Board of Education trustee, the chair of the city of Jackson [Michigan]’s Racial Equity Commission, chair of the grassroots group Racing 4 Equity, and I worked during the day for a nonprofit that — among the many amazing programs it offered – also managed several federal programs. By the time this all ended, I was yet and am still in most of these positions. I stepped down from Racing 4 Equity to pursue my Masters in Public Administration.
“To put the number of haters, nay-sayers in perspective my Twitter posts were averaging about two views per post. By the time this post was done being viewed, and as of time of this writing, it has been viewed 79.9K times (79,900).
“I was featured on Fox News national and made it into an article in the UK, the DailyMail, and various online social media news sites.
“Every social media platform that I use became inundated and overrun with hate mail, my name is still a popular and common name among public commenters at City Council.
“When this hit in January of 2023, it didn’t slowdown until around May of 2023, though it still hasn’t stopped altogether.
“So, how do I as an outspoken, truth-speaking advocate, and activist committed to racial justice persist despite the nay-sayers? I remember who I do it for. I remember who I do it for. My children. Myself, my community, the students in our district, the citizens in my city – I remember who I do it for. I persist, because I remember the who.”
In our 10th anniversary year, JustLeadershipUSA’s work of educating, elevating, and empowering justice-impacted leaders continues and is growing even stronger!
We are preparing for our very special 10th anniversary gala in New York City on October 21st, and we would love for you to be there with us.
This is going to be a very special time to look back on the past decade of JLUSA’s important work, the 1,600+ leaders we have helped get to the next level in their work, and even more importantly, we will look ahead to the next 10 years and beyond!
We can’t do this without you. We need your support to help us continue to do this work now and into the future. By purchasing a $50 streaming ticket, you are saying to the amazing leaders in our network who represent the 70+ million Americans who have been directly impacted by the criminal legal system, “I see you, and I support you!”
Please plan now to join us in person or give a one-time $100 gift or set up a recurring $10 monthly donation to celebrate JLUSA’s 10th anniversary year, and together we will build a fair and just U.S. Thank you!
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