Nupol Kiazolu

Last updated
Nupol Kiazolu
Born (2000-06-12) June 12, 2000 (age 23)
Citizenship American
Education Hampton University
Known for Civil rights activism

Nupol Kiazolu (born June 12, 2000) [1] is an American activist and founder of Vote 2000. [2] Kiazolu is an advocate for civil rights, domestic and sexual violence survivors, and homelessness. [3]

Contents

Early life and education

Kiazolu grew up in Brooklyn with her single mother. They lived in a homeless shelter. [4] Kiazolu began her activist activities at the age of twelve, following the killing of Trayvon Martin in 2012, an event which also sparked the birth of the Black Lives Matter movement. Kiazolu showed up to her middle school wearing a hoodie with the message "Do I look suspicious?" taped to the back, as well as picking up some skittles and an iced tea from 7-11 to represent what Trayvon Martin was carrying when he was killed. She faced opposition from school staff, and was sent to the principal's office and threatened with a suspension if she would not remove the hoodie. With the support of her math teacher, she confronted the principal, who ultimately decided to allow Kiazolu to state her case. [5] Kiazolu cited the Supreme Court case " Tinker vs. Des Moines" and earned the right to wear her hoodie at school. [6] [7] Kiazolu cited this interaction with a senior school official who allowed her to take part in an official form of activism as a defining moment for her: "At that moment, I knew being an activist and organizer was my calling." [5]

Kiazolu is a full-time student at Hampton University studying political science and pre-law. [8] She was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. [9]

Career

In 2017, Kiazolu founded Vote 2000, a campaign focused on increasing the effort to get more young people of color registered to vote. She partnered with the website DoSomething.org with the goal of registering 100,000 new voters. [5]

In August 2017, Kiazolu participated in the counterprotest against the "Unite the Right" rally held in Charlottesville. She cites her motivations as needing to boost the number of counterprotestors. She encountered members of Neo-Nazi groups and the KKK and was subjected to tear gas attacks. She was also assaulted by a KKK member, and fled the protest after the death of Heather Hayer. [10]

In 2019, Kiazolu competed in and won the Miss Liberia USA beauty pageant under the platform of uniting African and African American communities and raising awareness and funds for infrastructure, education and healthcare in Liberia. [8] [11]

In May 2020 after the murder of George Floyd, Kiazolu went to Minnesota to help coordinate the Black Lives Matter resistance efforts. On July 14, 2020, Kiazolu was arrested in Louisville, Kentucky while protesting at the home of state attorney general Daniel Cameron following the death of Breonna Taylor. [5] She was released the next day. [12]

Activism

Kiazolu views political polarization as the biggest threat to free speech in America. [7]

She aspires to run for the US presidency in the year 2036, where she hopes to reframe how the country thinks about key issues, including racism and homelessness. [4] Kiazolu states: "I want to see a more equitable and just America where your success isn't determined by your zip code or locality." [8]

Related Research Articles

Internet activism involves the use of electronic-communication technologies such as social media, e-mail, and podcasts for various forms of activism to enable faster and more effective communication by citizen movements, the delivery of particular information to large and specific audiences, as well as coordination. Internet technologies are used by activists for cause-related fundraising, community building, lobbying, and organizing. A digital-activism campaign is "an organized public effort, making collective claims on a target authority, in which civic initiators or supporters use digital media." Research has started to address specifically how activist/advocacy groups in the U.S. and in Canada use social media to achieve digital-activism objectives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hoodie</span> Sweatshirt with a hood

A hoodie is a type of sweatshirt with a hood that partially or fully covers the wearer's head or face. Hoodies with zippers usually include two pockets on the lower front, one on either side of the zipper, while "pullover" hoodies often include a single large muff or pocket in the same location. Both styles (usually) include a drawstring to adjust the hood opening. When worn up, the hood covers most of the head and neck and sometimes the face. Hoodies may be worn for aesthetic purposes, or protection against the environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killing of Trayvon Martin</span> 2012 killing of teenager in Sanford, Florida

On the evening of February 26, 2012, in Sanford, Florida, United States, George Zimmerman fatally shot Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old African-American.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trayvon Martin</span> American teenager killed in a shooting (1995–2012)

Trayvon Benjamin Martin was a 17-year-old African-American from Miami Gardens, Florida, who was fatally shot in Sanford, Florida, by George Zimmerman, a 28-year-old Hispanic American. Martin had accompanied his father to visit his father's fiancée at her townhouse at The Retreat at Twin Lakes in Sanford. On the evening of February 26, Martin was walking back to the fiancée's house from a nearby convenience store. Zimmerman, a member of the community watch, saw Martin and reported him to the Sanford Police as suspicious. Several minutes later, an altercation happened and Zimmerman fatally shot Martin in the chest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert E. Lee Monument (Charlottesville, Virginia)</span> Destroyed equestrian statue

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Lives Matter</span> Social movement originating in the US

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alicia Garza</span> American activist and writer (born 1981)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brittany Packnett Cunningham</span> American writer and activist (born 1984)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Kessler</span> American white supremacist and far-right political activist

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References

  1. "Nupol Kiazolu on Instagram: "Spending my birthday on the ground in solidarity with the people of Baltimore and the DMV!" . Instagram . Archived from the original on 2021-12-26. Retrieved 2021-05-18.
  2. "Watch: "Why I'm Voting" With 18-Year-Old Black Lives Matter Activist Nupol Kiazolu". DoSomething . Retrieved 2021-05-18.
  3. "Meet the Changemakers: Youth Collective to Honor Recipients at 2021 Summit". thirteen.org . Retrieved 2021-05-18.
  4. 1 2 McNamara, Brittney (5 November 2018). "Meet Your Future President, Nupol Kiazolu". Teen Vogue . Retrieved 2021-05-18.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Nupol Kiazolu - Cannabis News and Culture Magazine - The Emerald Media magazine". Cannabis News and Culture Magazine - The Emerald Media. 2020-10-05. Retrieved 2021-05-18.
  6. "Nupol Kiazolu is the 20-year-old Black Lives Matter activist defying ageism: 'I don't have the privilege to sit back and do nothing'". In The Know. 2021-02-04. Archived from the original on 16 February 2021. Retrieved 2021-05-18.
  7. 1 2 Chung, Gina (2020-08-06). "Free Speech 2020: An Interview with Nupol Kiazolu, President of Black Lives Matter Greater NY". PEN America . Retrieved 2021-05-18.
  8. 1 2 3 Twersky, Carolyn (2021-02-26). "At 20-Years-Old, Nupol Kiazolu Has Already Organized Hundreds of Marches. She's Just Getting Started". Seventeen . Retrieved 2021-05-18.
  9. "2023 'Young Frontrunner' Honoree Nupol Kiazolu Is On The Frontlines Pushing Us Forward". BecauseOfThemWeCan.com. 2023-03-30. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  10. Kiazolu, Nupol (2017-08-21). "Charlottesville Was The Most Traumatic Event Of My Young Life, But It Won't Stop Me". HuffPost . Retrieved 2021-05-18.
  11. White, Brooklyn (2024-05-01). "'Magic Unfiltered': Activist Nupol Kiazolu Stands Up For Her Beliefs". Essence . Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  12. "'It's a violation of constitutional rights of free speech.' UofL law professor calls felony charge for protesters outrageous". WHAS-TV . 15 July 2020. Retrieved 2021-05-18.