DeRay McKesson Not Charged For Protesting In Baton Rouge
Black Lives Matter civil rights activist and former Baltimore mayoral candidate DeRay Mckesson has endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
Mckesson wrote that he plans on voting for Hillary during this year's election for The Washington Post on Wednesday, stating that the nominee's "platform signals both deep understanding of the challenges and a plan to move us forward."
Mckesson said that he has met with Hillary at least twice: once in October 2015 and once last week. Initially, the activist was not impressed with the former secretary of state's positions on the issues of racial inequality and social justice on which he advocates, but now says that Hillary has developed a strong grasp on them.
"When I met with her last week, it was clear that she now understands these issues well at a policy level and that she has researched the implications of the positions that she has proposed," Mckesson added. "In this meeting, she spoke both about the context of change and the concrete actions necessary to open new pathways of equity and justice."
Mckesson also wrote about Clinton's racial justice platform, calling it strong because "it is informed by the policy failings of the past and is a vision for where we need to go." He praised her proposals on policing practices and criminal justice reform, as well as her economic package, which he said is "akin to a New Deal."
However, Mckesson's Clinton endorsement is not Black Lives Matter's endorsement. Back in September 2015 Black Lives Matter co founder Alicia Garza stated explicitly that the network would not give a political endorsement.
"Black Lives Matter as a network will not, does not, has not [and] ain't going to endorse any candidates," Garza said during the Black Women's Roundtable Policy Forum, according to the Guardian.
"Now if there are activists within the movement that want to do that independently, they should feel free and if that's what makes sense for their local conditions, that's fantastic," Garza added. "But as a network, that's not work we're engaged in yet."
You can read Mckesson's endorsement here.
