Write Your Hero - Zyah, 9 -- Tamika Mallory
In the beginning, I only knew a little bit about Tamika Mallory. I participated in the first Women’s March, in 2017 and I knew she had a part in it. I don’t think I really knew what a “hero” was besides cartoon characters, like Superman or Batman, when I was that little. Now that I know what a hero should be like, I choose Tamika Mallory, as my civic hero!
Tamika Mallory is a known activist, who is very passionate about social justice and civil rights. Her position in the fight for women’s rights and the black lives matter movement, have put her at the top of the list as an active civil rights leader, in my eyes. She fights for the right thing to be done for all people and every situation that involves the rights of everyone.
The world is crazy right now. The murder of George Floyd and the Coronavirus pandemic, has really shown the type of world we live in. Racism and equality are the biggest issues that are being questioned. There are people that think they are the only people that matter and that’s sad to me.
On March 13, 2020, Breonna Taylor was murdered in her own bed, by Louisville, Kentucky cops. The news started to circulate and become a big deal, I think because Tamika Mallory became the leader for getting justice for Breonna Taylor. She saw the problems that a lot of other African American people face, when they deal with the police. With all the African Americans that have died because of police, it has become something that is on everyone’s mind and a very big issue.
Ms. Mallory made it her business to help the family of Breonna Taylor find justice. Her organization, Until Freedom, staged a sit in at the Kentucky Attorney General, Daniel Cameron’s house. This was to protest how he and other Kentucky leaders handled the investigation into Breonna Taylor’s death. She and other people were arrested, but this wasn’t a problem to her. She then decided that she would move to Kentucky, so she could finish what she started.
I admire Tamika Mallory because she gave a whole town of people a voice and helped them understand what they were facing, but also steps to take to make the situation a better one. She led marches, walked around the communities and organized rallies to fight for justice. She actually listened to the community members and gave them someone to talk and be sad with. Without her, I think people would have still organized marches but she gave the fight, the “who!” She always says that she fights so hard because not only was what happened wrong but because Breonna Taylor could have been any of us.
Tamika Mallory has used her platform to amplify voices in the community and I hope to be able to do that one day also. I am an emcee. Yes, I rap, although I am 9. And a big part of hip hop is making your voice be heard and telling truth. In July of this year, my family wrote a song called, “Our Generation.” In the the first verse, I said, “I speak like Tamika Mallory when I’m fed up,” and that part meant so much to me! Tamika Mallory has inspired me in so many ways. To say what needs to be said, whether everyone agrees with you or not. Show empathy because that’s how you connect with people. And one of the biggest things is that, I am human but I am also enough.
Somehow, she came across my Instagram post and reposted my, “Our Generation” freestyle and said that I was the future. This made me know that I was doing something right! It also made me never want to stop what I am doing and how I am doing it!