Therese Patricia Okoumou, commonly known as Patricia Okoumou, is a Black activist, most known for scaling the base of the Statue of Liberty in protest of children being separated from their parents at the Mexico-United States border in 2018. [1] She was credited by Hawk Newsome as "the most prominent Black voice in this immigrant rights movement right now." [2]
Okoumou was born in the Republic of the Congo. As a child, she and her peers climbed structures in Brazzaville where she lived. Her father worked as a pilot for then-Republic of the Congo president Denis Sassou Nguesso. [3] In 1993, when Okoumou was a young adult, civil war occurred in her home, exposing her to violence, and prompting her move to the United States. During her first years in the US, she worked as a physical therapist, personal trainer, and staffer in a domestic violence shelter. [4] She has stated of her reasoning for moving to the US, "I had that false notion of diversity and inclusiveness." [3]
On November 21, 2016, Okoumou protested Donald Trump's election for hours by herself outside of Trump Tower, leading to Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks interviewing her. [5]
On July 4, 2018, Okoumou climbed the Statue of Liberty to protest the Trump administration's family separation policy. Okoumou scaled the statue after participating in a protest with Rise and Resist New York. She decided to climb as an impulse after being told to by God, in protest of 2,300 children being "separated from their families over a six-week period in April and May" of 2018. [6] [7] She stayed on the base of the statue for four hours, during which 4,500 Ellis Island visitors were evacuated. [8] Okoumou was defended by Rhiya Trivedi in court. In 2019, Okoumou was given 5 years probation and 200 hours of community service for charges of trespassing, interference with agency functions, and disorderly conduct. [2]
On November 29, 2018, Okoumou climbed halfway up the Eiffel Tower and displayed a banner that read "#ReturnTheChildren", before being removed by police. [9] She chose the tower due to its connection to the Statue of Liberty, which was a gift from France to the United States as a symbol of liberty. [3] [10]
In January 2019, Okoumou began a ten-day journey across detention camps in Texas where she and other activists visited undocumented children and offered Valentine's Day cards. [3] [11]
On February 20, 2019, Okoumou climbed the headquarters of Southwest Key, an organization which operates 24 migrant detention centers that hold children. She hung a banner that read, "Abolish ICE" and stayed on a three-foot beam on top of the building for over eight hours, before climbing down and going to the hospital to be evaluated. [12] [13]
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor in New York City, in the United States. The copper statue, a gift from the people of France, was designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and its metal framework was built by Gustave Eiffel. The statue was dedicated on October 28, 1886.
Nancy Patricia Pelosi is an American politician who served as the 52nd speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2019 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the first woman elected Speaker and the first woman to lead a major political party in either chamber of Congress, leading the House Democrats from 2003 to 2023. Pelosi has been a member of the United States House of Representatives from California since 1987.
Junko Tabei was a Japanese mountaineer, author, and teacher. She was the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest and the first woman to ascend the Seven Summits, climbing the highest peak on every continent.
El Capitan is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith is about 3,000 feet (914 m) from base to summit along its tallest face and is a world-famous location for big wall climbing, including the disciplines of aid climbing, free climbing, and more recently for free solo climbing.
The Young Turks (TYT) is an American progressive news commentary show on YouTube that additionally appears on selected television channels. TYT serves as the flagship program of the TYT Network, a multi-channel network of associated web series focusing on news and current events. TYT covers politics, lifestyle, pop culture, science, sport and other social topics. The program was created by Cenk Uygur, Ben Mankiewicz and Dave Koller. Uygur is Turkish-American and named the program after the Young Turks movement of the 20th century. Currently co-hosted by Uygur and Ana Kasparian, it is also often accompanied by various other in-studio contributors. The Young Turks began as a radio program that premiered on February 14, 2002, on Sirius Satellite Radio before launching a web series component in 2005 on YouTube; it was later carried on Air America.
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Cenk Kadir Uygur is a Turkish-American political commentator and media host. He is the creator of The Young Turks, an American left-wing, sociopolitical, progressive news and commentary program.
Stephanie "Steph" Davis is an American rock climber, BASE jumper, and wingsuit flyer. She is one of the world's leading climbers, having completed some of the hardest routes in the world. She has free soloed up to 5.11a (6b+), and was the first woman to summit all the peaks of the Fitzroy Range in Patagonia, the second woman to free climb El Capitan in a day, the first woman to free climb the Salathė Wall on El Capitan, the first woman to free solo The Diamond on Longs Peak in Colorado, and the first woman to summit Torre Egger. Davis was married to fellow climbers and BASE jumpers Dean Potter and Mario Richard, and currently to sky-diving instructor, flyer, and jumper Ian Mitchard. Davis is also a blogger who writes about her interests in climbing, BASE jumping, yoga, and veganism.
Anahit Misak Kasparian is an American political commentator, media host, and journalist. She is the main host and a producer of the online news show The Young Turks, having begun working as a fill-in producer for the show in 2007. She also appeared on the television version of the show that aired on Current TV. She formerly hosted The Point on the TYT Network and co-hosted a Jacobin YouTube show, Weekends with Ana Kasparian and Nando Vila.
Brooke Raboutou is an American professional rock climber who specializes in competition climbing where she competes as part of the US National Team. She competed at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games and represents the United States at IFSC Climbing World Cups.
Lhakpa Sherpa is a Nepalese Sherpa mountain climber. She has climbed Mount Everest ten times, the most of any woman in the world. Her record-breaking tenth climb was on May 12, 2022, which she financed via a crowd-funding campaign. In 2000, she became the first Nepali woman to climb and descend Everest successfully. In 2016, she was listed as one of BBC's 100 Women.
Justice Democrats is an American progressive political action committee and caucus founded on January 23, 2017, by two leaders of Bernie Sanders's 2016 presidential campaign, Saikat Chakrabarti and Zack Exley, as well as political commentators Kyle Kulinski and Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks. The organization formed as a result of the 2016 United States presidential election and aspires "to elect a new type of Democratic majority in Congress" that will "create a thriving economy and democracy that works for the people, not big money interests". The group advocates for campaign finance reform and endorses only candidates who pledge to refuse donations from corporate PACs and lobbyists.
Immigration policy, including illegal immigration to the United States, was a signature issue of former U.S. president Donald Trump's presidential campaign, and his proposed reforms and remarks about this issue generated much publicity. Trump has repeatedly said that illegal immigrants are criminals.
Sarah Elizabeth Huckabee Sanders is an American politician serving since 2023 as the 47th governor of Arkansas.
Rise and Resist is a United States social advocacy movement, predominantly based in New York City, formed in response to the 2016 election of Donald Trump. The movement has organized several marches and protests against President Trump and his policies, as well as lent support for similar organizations' protests, such as the 2017 Women's March. In December 2017, the group also participated in protests against Trump's Tax Reform Plan.
Veronica Escobar is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Texas's 16th congressional district, based in El Paso, since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as an El Paso County commissioner from 2007 to 2011 and the El Paso county judge from 2011 until 2017.
The United States family separation policy under the Trump administration was presented to the public as a "zero tolerance" approach intended to deter illegal immigration and to encourage tougher legislation. In some cases, families following the legal procedure to apply for asylum at official border crossings were also separated. It was officially adopted across the entire US–Mexico border from April 2018 until June 2018. Under the policy, federal authorities separated children and infants from parents or guardians with whom they had entered the US. The adults were prosecuted and held in federal jails or deported, and the children were placed under the supervision of the US Department of Health and Human Services. More than 5,500 children, including infants, were removed and hundreds have still not been reunited as of August 2022.
Protests against the Trump administration family separation policy are a reaction to the Trump administration policy of separating children from their parents or guardians who crossed the U.S. border either illegally or to request asylum, jailing the adults and locating the minors at separate facilities under the care of the Department of Health and Human Services.
The Trump administration has detained migrants attempting to enter the United States at the United States–Mexico border. Government reports from the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General in May 2019 and July 2019 found that migrants had been detained under conditions that failed federal standards. These conditions have included prolonged detention, overcrowding, and poor hygiene and food standards.
A special election to the United States House of Representatives for California's 25th congressional district was held March 3, 2020, the same day as the California presidential primaries. As no candidate received a majority, a runoff took place on May 12, 2020, between the top two finishers Christy Smith and Mike Garcia. Garcia's win was the first time Republicans flipped a Democratic-held House seat in California since 1998.