Kio Amachree’s Post

YOUNG BLACK CHANGEMAKER OPPORTUNITY UPDATE 📣📣 Just to share that we have now got a form for any Young Black Changemakers to register their interest for this upcoming opportunity👏🏾. https://lnkd.in/ePV2Ufh7 We've extended the deadline till this Sunday 5th - so please fill out the form as soon as you can or share to who ever you would like to nominate also! Wasn't expecting this post to go so far and wide, but so greatful it has🙏🏾. I should probably do a introduction to who I am soon, the connections I've gotten over the last week days A Glory to God - love expanding my network🥹. Just to flag a few things: 1️⃣This opportunity doesn't involve speaking, anyone showing interest will be an attendee and participant. Of course you can speak in discussion but I have plans to make this a opportunity to grow, learn, network & connect with others. 2️⃣All travel, fees, accommodation will be covered if selected to attend. This opportunity could be more than a day. 3️⃣This is a UK Based opportunity - sorry to my international changemakers (watch this space, give me some time!) 4️⃣& lastly the opportunity will more than likely take place the within Summer!! I'm looking at August time Hope this is helpful to anyone looking to show interest. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to: ➡️Myself via direct message or email [email protected] or ➡️ Andre R Russell via direct message or email [email protected] Look forward to hearing from my fellow Young Black Changemakers🥳🥂. #youngblackchangemakers #opportunity #callout #registernow #share

This #Juneteenth, let's remember who this day is for, and resist the urge to commodify and appropriate. In the last few years since Juneteenth became a national holiday, we've seen corporations selling "merch," posting performative content, and making a profit. What is really needed is action: channeling resources to racial justice organizations, uplifting Black voices, and speaking out against the racism that is still very present today. Symbolic efforts will not bring true liberation, direct and intentional actions will. "Struggle is a never-ending process. Freedom is never really won, you earn it and win it in every generation." -Coretta Scott King Learn more about Juneteenth on our blog ⬇

CALL OUT FOR YOUNG BLACK CHANGE MAKERS📢🤎! LinkedIn family, I’m in need of your help! I have something very special coming up and I want to make this opportunity one that I will never forget. But I need the power and attendance of some Young Black Changemakers to be there with me. So my ask is if you know any young people aged 18-30 who are: - Young Changemakers - Young Activists - Young Leaders - Based in the UK Who actively advocate, work in or work for: - Bettering our current policing & criminal justice systems🚔 - Prevention for serious youth violence🙏🏾 - Bettering our quality of education & reducing school exclusions📚 - Better resources and awareness to support youth Mental Health🧠 - Reforming Children’s Social Care System🏡 - Creating safer places and policies for women and girls🫶🏽 - Supporting those from disadvantaged backgrounds and ethnic minorities✊🏾 PLEASE COMMENT THEM BELOW👇🏾. As much as this post will support my upcoming plans, I know 100% this post could also could help: 🤎 Create awareness to those who want to work with Young Black Changemakers 🤎Share the amazing work that Young Black Changemakers are making 🤎An opportunity to network with fellow-likeminded black professionals supporting the parts of the youth sector. 🤎And of course to give those Young Black Changemakers their accolades, that they RIGHTLY DESERVE! I want to see so many comments as I need to make sure I have a room full of powerhouses. They don’t have to be BIG TIME ACTIVISTS with businesses, CIC’s or charities… As I want my opportunity to benefit all levels of activism and advocacy because populatirity doesn’t always mean authenticity. Please share this post far and wide🗣️. #youngblackchangemakers #callout #activists #share #commentbelow

"Black Lives Matter" is a powerful movement advocating for the dignity, equality, and justice of Black individuals. It's a rallying cry against systemic racism, police brutality, and social injustice that have plagued Black communities for centuries.   At its core, "Black Lives Matter" is a call to action to address the deep-rooted inequalities and injustices that persist in our society. It seeks to dismantle oppressive systems and institutions that perpetuate discrimination and violence against Black people.   This movement highlights the need for systemic change in areas such as criminal justice, education, healthcare, employment, and beyond. It challenges all of us to confront our biases, educate ourselves, and actively work towards creating a more equitable and inclusive world for everyone.   "Black Lives Matter" is not just a slogan; it's a movement for liberation, empowerment, and justice. It reminds us that until Black lives are truly valued and protected, we cannot claim to live in a just and equitable society. It's a reminder to stand in solidarity with the Black community, amplify their voices, and actively participate in the fight against racism in all its forms.   #BlackLivesMatter #BLM #JusticeForBlackLives #EndRacism #EqualityForAll #SayTheirNames #SystemicRacism #NoJusticeNoPeace #AntiRacism #BlackLiberation #SocialJustice #RacialJustice #Solidarity #BlackCommunity #AmplifyMelanatedVoices  

MY SMALL WAY TO ACKNOWLEDGE #JUNETEENTH is to learn more about Black history in our country. Since nearly all of my work focuses on the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors, I want to better understand the wealth that fuels them. The true history of the “American Dream”, includes shocking stories about the post-emancipation racist practices that helped generate that (white) wealth. A report I read this week titled Cracks in the Foundation (NCRP, Jan. 2024) outlines the entrenched role that racist practices have had across four sectors in the DMV region: Media, housing, employment, and health care. The existence of the damaging biases described in the report did not surprise me, but the pervasive, far-reaching nature of them does.  Here is a snapshot of each sector’s racist history in our region (and elsewhere): Media – The news coverage, editorial opinions and lucrative adverstising revenues of major newspapers have regularly reinforced and amplified anti-Black attitudes. Coverage of “race riots” was anti-Black, even when the violence was started by white mobs. Media narratives around law enforcement and the depiction of both victims and perpetrators of crimes also reinforced anti-Black attitudes of justice – all while generating profits for the families that owned the publications. Housing – Carefully designed and protected legal forms of descrimination, segregation, and displacement proliferated – obstructing home ownership, a key source of intergenerational wealth. Racially restrictive covenants were compounded by zoning policies, discriminatory lending practices, pricing pressures, and physical threats. Again – the businesses, brokers, and property owners profited from their racist practices. Employment – Racist employment norms have perpetuated decades and decades of economic inequity and pay gaps. For every dollar of white family income, African Americans earned 58 cents in 1967. And as recently as 2021, African Americans had 62 cents to the white household’s dollar.  Black neighborhoods have weaker job markets while job access also remains inequitable in diverse neighborhoods. Healthcare – As the NCRP report notes, “The struggle of African Americans, since emancipation, for the right to health care and the right to become professional healers themselves is an essential part of the story of their struggle for freedom and autonomy.”  Life threatening discrimination in diagnoses and levels of care are one reason for the large difference in life expectancies.  In DC, black men live 17 years less on average than their white counterparts – for Black women, it is 12 years less. This racial gap is accompanied by specific examples of exploitive medical research practices that have dehumanized (or neglected) African Americans in the name of profitable medical advances. That’s my micro-lesson. HAPPY JUNETEENTH! I hope this holiday celebrates continuing learning and progress. https://lnkd.in/e8B5zARd

On the day after the election, I joined in solidarity with other Black women who created space for each other to be at ease and experience psychological safety. I'm grateful for the owners of Lynette, a restaurant in South Minneapolis, for reserving their private dining room for us to be together. Spaces like these have always been important to people who are politically conscious, but we'll need them more and more as we move into the future. Here are a few things I'm doing to stay grounded and engaged in the meantime. *Limiting consumption of news and increasing consumption of opportunities to use my power. *Divesting from companies that are supporting harmful agendas while supporting businesses that align with my values. It's hard to let some companies go, but I'll continue to research where I spend my dollars to make intentional, impactful choices. To help in this effort, I found Goods Unite Us, a website and app that "has spent thousands of hours vetting companies' political expenditures in federal elections." *Getting involved in grassroots organizations. Community efforts are the heartbeat of change. Lending our skills, voice, or time to organizations driving equity and justice that already exist and need support is another action that I'll continue to take. *Supporting my people. We have to strengthen our circles. This can look like offering tangible help to our family, friends, and neighbors—or simply checking in and letting them know we care. I'm especially focusing on young people. Equipping them with knowledge, confidence, tools for advocacy and leadership fills my cup and theirs. Choose your own adventure! *Prioritizing self-care and community care. Resistance requires rest. Practicing care for ourselves and creating spaces where others can recharge and feel supported is necessa

The Black Lives Matter was founded in 2013 by Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi, and has been a catalyst for change, speaking a national conversation about racism and police brutality on the Black. The moment has grown into a global phenomenon with activists from different areas of life joining the fight for racial justice. At its core, Black Lives Matter is a call to action, demanding an end to vandalization and marginalization faced by black people. The movement's leaders and supporters are pushing for policy changes, community-led solutions, and fundamental changes in the way whites see and treat black lives. From protests and rallies to social media campaigns and grassroots mobilization. Black Lives Matter has mobilized a new generation of activists and advocates. The impact on this group is undeniable as it has brought to notice racial inequality such as racial profiling, police brutality, mass incarceration, voter suppression, healthcare disparities, education discrimination, and wealth disparities. It has also sparked conversation about the historical and ongoing impacts of slavery and segregation. Despite facing criticism and backlash, Black Lives Matter has achieved significant milestones. It has inspired reconsideration in policing and criminal justice policies and has also sparked a national conversation about race and racism. Black Lives Matter (BLM) has also inspired solidarity movements, such as the NFL protest and the Women's March, and has influenced music, art, and culture. The movement's success is a testament to the power of grassroots mobilization and the determination of black lives and allies to fight for justice.

As we celebrate Juneteenth today and commemorate this day of freedom, let us also acknowledge the inequity that Black Americans continue to face. The McKinsey Institute for Black Economic Mobility recently examined which environments—cities, suburbs, exurbs, and rural counties—currently offer Black residents the best quality of life and which have gotten closer to the goal of creating more equitable outcomes. Soberingly, the study found that there is nowhere in the United States where outcomes for Black residents equal those of their White neighbors. How long would it take for Black Americans across the nation to achieve racial parity with their White neighbors? Based on the rate of change between 2012 and 2021, say McKinsey & Company senior partner Shelley Stewart III and coauthors, it could take more than three centuries. #equity #thrivingcities #diversity #DEI

Check out this  article: The state of Black residents: The relevance of place to racial equity and outcomes https://lnkd.in/gNerka79

Folks are determined to make my work all about race. I can't make this stuff up.😡 We called up the King County Library in Bellevue, Washington, to set up a free public reading event with "The Police and Me" to educate families of ALL backgrounds on how to interact safely with law enforcement. After noting that the book was written by a "Black author" and that I'm trying to do something positive, the librarian hits us with, "The Bellevue library is a white library." 🤨🤦🏾♂️ Did I miss something? When did white folks stop having run-ins with the police? Let me set this straight…AGAIN. "The Police and Me" is not a "Black book," and this is not just a subject for Black people. Anytime I hear this, it's as if my race or the representation of a Black father and son on the cover—somehow makes this book less relevant or valuable to a "white community." Besides, this public institution is intended to provide equitable access for ALL community members. What's funny is I don't mention race in this book because it's more important to teach everyone how to be safe during police encounters without turning it into a reality TV show. My work and this book are a guide for EVERYONE, which also helps keep police officers safe! My message to Governor Jay Inslee, Dow Constantine, King County Executive, Dr. Lynne Robinson, Mayor, City of Bellevue, King County Library Executive Heidi Daniel… In a push for equity and "anti-racism," you have demonstrated a genuine commitment to creating an inclusive and equitable environment for all. Unfortunately, these experiences as a Black American casts a shadow on your efforts. It's somewhat ironic that this is what I'm up against as a Black man trying to educate children and communities on safe police interactions peacefully. To do our part in avoiding unnecessary uses of force by police, I ask that you put your resources to work now and join my effort to teach kids and parents to interact with police safely. If any other libraries, bookstores, or community organizations are interested in joining our nationwide efforts, please contact my team at [email protected]. ✌🏾 #childrensbooks #kids #empowerment #equality #rights #justice #antiracism #civilrights #inclusion #police #cop