Special News Series: Rising Up For Justice! – 7-year-old becomes symbol of hope for Black Lives Matter movement

Introduction To This Series:

This post is one installment in an ongoing news series: a “living history” of the current national and international uprising for justice.

Today’s movement descends directly from the many earlier civil rights struggles against repeated injustices and race-based violence, including the killing of unarmed Black people. The posts in this series serve as a timeline of the uprising that began on May 26, 2020, the day after a Minneapolis police officer killed an unarmed Black man, George Floyd, by kneeling on his neck. The viral video of Floyd’s torturous suffocation brought unprecedented national awareness to the ongoing demand to truly make Black Lives Matter in this country.

The posts in this series focus on stories of the particular killings that have spurred the current uprising and on the protests taking place around the USA and across the globe. Sadly, thousands of people have lost their lives to systemic racial, gender, sexuality, judicial, and economic injustice. The few whose names are listed here represent the countless others lost before and since. Likewise, we can report but a few of the countless demonstrations for justice now taking place in our major cities, small towns, and suburbs.

7-year-old becomes symbol of hope for Black Lives Matter movement

Zuri Jensen, 7, became a symbol of hope and inspiration during the Black Lives Matter movement when a photo taken of her raising her fist in the air went viral.

By Aaron Burrell, WYFF Channel 4 – NBC

August 14, 2020

7-year-old Zuri Jensen has become a viral symbol of hope and inspiration.

“I think it’s just an image that shares, that forces a conversation,” said Dalton Carper, a freelance journalist.

She was photographed standing on her top of her father’s car with her fist raised at a protest for George Floyd in Omaha, Nebraska. 

“I turned around, I seriously remember saying out loud, ‘Oh my God,’ when I saw the moment and just pulled up the camera and took the picture,” said Dalton Carpenter. 

“She was like ‘I want to put my fist up,’ and I was like, ‘Oh, okay.’ And, so she got on top of my husband’s car, and that’s what she did …and a picture was taken.” said Jeona Jensen.

The image of Zuri is so powerful that it has even been shared by vice presidential candidate, Kamala Harris.

“Different people were seeing different things. Some hope, some saw power, some saw unity, you know, but really I think when I look at that picture it just accompanies – it’s everything,” said Jeona Jensen.

“You can’t help but not look at her. And think you know what, there is hope for us, and she believes it.” said Anthony Peña.

Activism isn’t new to the Jensen family.

“We witnessed the George Floyd incident, and my family, we’ve always been speaking out for social justice,” said Jeona Jensen.

Jeona Jensen asked, “Why did you do that – what you see in the picture?”

“Because I wanted the Black people to be proud,” said Zuri Jensen

Art has the ability to inspire and the image of Zuri is doing just that.

“From the protests to speeches to art, you know, we can do something better than the past did. we have to,” said Anthony Peña.

Read the full article here.