Grassroot_Ohio- #BlackLivesMatter Central Ohio- Kiara Yakita, Jessica Smiley & Brynette Turner

Published: Aug. 28, 2020, 9:31 p.m.

b'A Sisterhood for Black Lives has taken a nightly stand in Columbus Metro for #BlackLivesMatter since George Floyd\\u2019s murder. Kiara Yakita, Jessica Smiley and Brynette Turner are committed to Justice for All.\\n\\nKiara Yakita is a Cincinnati native and has lived in Columbus for 2 years. She\'s an artist and activist passionate about uplifting black women. She\'s been an active participant in the BLM movement since the murder of Trayvon Martin. She\'s created marches, rallies, and community events. She created the Black Lives Matter Central Ohio social media pages and formed the Sisterhood for Black Lives. She works full time in human resources and is finishing her bachelor\'s degree. She works to provide platforms to Black entrepreneurs, elevating black artists and educating and empowering people to vote and participating in democracy.\\n\\nJessica Smiley has been a grassroots volunteer/organizer for 13 years. She canvassed for President Obama and volunteers with the Ohio Democratic Party, Our Revolution, and other progressive organizations. As a Black lesbian and mother to a 12 year old daughter, her passion lies with both the BLM movement and LGBTQIA+ rights and protections. She has lived her life through the experiences of racism, sexism, homophobia and other forms of oppression simply because of who she is and who she loves. These factors drive her passion and keeps the fire in her belly lit. Recently, she has organized and attended protests and rallies at Goodale Park and the Ohio Statehouse. She creates social media, writes emails and attends virtual city council meetings to voice her support for legislation to:\\n* end no-knock warrants, \\nform a citizens review board, \\nto demilitarize CPD, and \\nto address CPD presence in our schools. \\n\\nShe completed the inaugural Women\\u2019s March Feminist Organizing School and Supermajority\\u2019s Majority Leaders program and is part of a nationwide network of feminists and others working to defeat Trump and Trumpism.\\n\\nBrynette Turner is an Ohio native who currently lives in Columbus. She\\u2019s an author and retired federal employee who has also been a community advocate, political activist, and organizer of a variety of community events. Whether working on political campaigns, registering and educating voters, lobbying politicians, or actively protesting against social injustices and human rights violations, Brynette has been driven by a deep love for people, democracy, and the ideal of equal opportunity. She fully believes this country has the ability to live up to its promises to all people and its responsibility to be good stewards of this land and its many resources.\\n\\nBlack Lives Matter Central Ohio - https://www.facebook.com/BLMCentralOhio/\\n\\nHere is the link to The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act:\\nhttps://judiciary.house.gov/uploadedfiles/fact_sheet_justice_in_policing_act_of_2020.pdf\\n\\nGrassRoot Ohio w/ Carolyn Harding - Conversations with every-day people, working on important issues here in Columbus and all around Ohio! \\n\\nThere\'s a time to listen and learn, a time to organize and strategize, And a time to Stand Up/ Fight Back!\\n\\nEvery Friday 5:00pm, EST on 94.1FM & streaming worldwide @ WGRN.org\\n\\nWe now air on Sundays at 4:00pm EST, at 107.1 FM, Wheeling/Moundsville WV on WEJP-LP FM.\\n\\nContact Us if you would like GrassRoot Ohio on your local station.\\n\\nCheck us out and Like us on Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/GrassRootOhio/\\n\\nCheck us out on Instagram:\\nhttps://www.instagram.com/grassroot_ohio/\\n\\nIf you miss the Friday broadcast, you can find it here: All shows/podcasts archived at SoundCloud! https://soundcloud.com/user-42674753\\n\\nGrassRoot Ohio is now on Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grassroot-ohio/id1522559085\\n\\nThis GrassRoot Ohio interview can also be found on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/cinublue/featured?view_as=subscriber\\n\\nIntro and Exit music for GrassRoot Ohio is "Resilient" by Rising Appalachia: https://youtu.be/tx17RvPMaQ8'