Last Friday, the Rachel Maddow Show devoted an entire segment to the growing #ChalkedUnarmed movement that seeks to keep the focus on system racism and violence against black and minority communities in the United States. #ChalkedUnarmed’s Facebook page describes the chalk outline action this way:
Bringing awareness to the pattern of extra-judicial killing of UNARMED Black Men by police in the US.
Draw a chalk outline of a human on a public sidewalk or plaza.
Write the name, date, and location of an UNARMED Black man killed extra-judicially by the police along with the word UNARMED.
Take a picture and post to social media with the hashtag #ChalkedUnarmed. Post to this group with the location where you drew the outline.
Do it anywhere, anytime.
If you come across a #ChalkedUnarmed that you didn’t create, take a picture and post to social media and this group.We request that this group stay focused on raising awareness on this particular pattern of systemic racism and the value of this method of raising that awareness. Please be considerate of this request as you chose which links to share in the group.
The Rachel Maddow Show has covered the events in Ferguson, MO diligently since Michael Brown was shot and killed and as far as I can tell, their show was the first national televison news show to report on the #ChalkUnarmed action. Check out the segment here:
Over the weekend, activists in Allentown, PA took up the call and held a march to protest the killing of Michael Brown and police brutality in the Lehigh Valley. Here’s some of what the scene looked at as reported by LehighValleyLive.
With the beginning of the school year, it is likely that chalk outlines will be showing up on sidewalks and parking lots near public schools and on college campuses. Here is a snapshot of how the #ChalkedUnarmed action is taking shape on Twitter:
