As she frequently did, on that day 17-year-old Olive Morris marched in protest of police brutality and worked to build up her community. Then the unthinkable happened.
The police attacked a Nigerian diplomat! All of Morris’s friends understood her passion for building a strong Black community in the midst of the country’s turmoil, racism, and sexism, yet none of them expected her next move.
Instinctively she ran to help, facing off with the cops! But they beat her so brutally that she was unrecognizable to her brother, and later in jail, she was tormented and threatened with rape by the police.
After that brutal treatment, would she back down from her activism?
No! Despite being only 17, she dedicated her life to creating an inclusive society where everyone experienced equality. Uplifting her people and building programs for the underserved was her life’s work.
Yet her life was cut short.
Sadly, this powerful young activist died of cancer at 27. But while alive she established a legacy, founding organizations to explore the role and treatment of women in the Black Panther Party and society. Her commitment and dedication to building a strong Black community through organizing and activism live on!
Like Olive Morris, if we establish organizations that build strong Black communities and defend our people, then we can empower and protect our people against brutality.