{"@context":"http://iiif.io/api/presentation/3/context.json","id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/iiif/9z9086541d/manifest","type":"Manifest","label":{"en":["Oral history interview with Jessica \"Jessie\" Parks"]},"logo":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/212/original/LOHI_aviarybanner2.jpg?1741032082","metadata":[{"label":{"en":["Date"]},"value":{"en":["12/10/21"]}},{"label":{"en":["Description"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eJessica \"Jessie\" Parks is a native of Anderson, South Carolina. She relocated to Charleston to attend college and became active in the Occupy Wall Street movement and later organized with Black Lives Matter Charleston and We Are Family.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},{"label":{"en":["Language"]},"value":{"en":["English"]}},{"label":{"en":["Rights Statement"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eCopyright Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture\u003c/p\u003e"]}},{"label":{"en":["Access Note"]},"value":{"en":["For more information contact the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture, 125 Bull Street, Charleston, SC 29424."]}},{"label":{"en":["Access Statement"]},"value":{"en":["All rights reserved."]}},{"label":{"en":["Interviewee"]},"value":{"en":["Parks, Jessica \"Jessie\", 1983-"]}},{"label":{"en":["Interviewer"]},"value":{"en":["Brown, Millicent E., 1948-"]}},{"label":{"en":["Subject - Topical"]},"value":{"en":["Occupy movement","African Americans","Activism","Political participation","Community organization"]}},{"label":{"en":["Subject - Personal or Corporate"]},"value":{"en":["Scott, Walter, 1965-2015","International Longshoreman's Association","Black Lives Matter Charleston (Charleston, S.C.)","College of Charleston"]}},{"label":{"en":["Subject - Geographic"]},"value":{"en":["Charleston (S.C.)","North Charleston (S.C.)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Subject - Geographic County"]},"value":{"en":["Charleston County (S.C.)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Contributing Institution"]},"value":{"en":["Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture"]}},{"label":{"en":["Media Type"]},"value":{"en":["Oral Histories"]}},{"label":{"en":["Resource Locator"]},"value":{"en":["AMN 1168.001.021"]}},{"label":{"en":["Digitization Specifications"]},"value":{"en":["Mp4 derivative audio and video created using Davinci Resolve. Archival masters are mp4 files."]}},{"label":{"en":["Date Digital"]},"value":{"en":["2022"]}}],"summary":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eJessica \"Jessie\" Parks is a native of Anderson, South Carolina. She relocated to Charleston to attend college and became active in the Occupy Wall Street movement and later organized with Black Lives Matter Charleston and We Are Family.\u003c/p\u003e"]},"requiredStatement":{"label":{"en":["Attribution"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eCopyright Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture\u003c/p\u003e"]}},"provider":[{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/aboutus","type":"Agent","label":{"en":["Lowcountry Digital Library"]},"homepage":[{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/","type":"Text","label":{"en":["Lowcountry Digital Library"]},"format":"text/html"}],"logo":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/212/original/LOHI_aviarybanner2.jpg?1741032082","type":"Image"}]}],"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/291/380/small/jessica-parks.mp4_1757957702.jpg?1757957705","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 1 of 1 - jessica-parks.mp4"]},"duration":2506.367,"width":640,"height":360,"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/291/380/small/jessica-parks.mp4_1757957702.jpg?1757957705","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/content/1","type":"AnnotationPage","items":[{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/content/1/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"painting","body":{"id":"https://aviary-p-cofc.s3.wasabisys.com/collection_resource_files/resource_files/000/291/380/original/jessica-parks.mp4?1757957698","type":"Video","format":"video/mp4","duration":2506.367,"width":640,"height":360},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380","metadata":[]}]}],"annotations":[{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163","type":"AnnotationPage","label":{"en":["jessica-parks.docx [Transcript]"]},"items":[{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=0.0,0.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/2","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nOkay, I'm going to start off by asking you, give us your name and then spell first and last name for us.   ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=0.0,6.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/3","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JESSICA PARKS\n\nOkay, my name is Jessica Parks, J-E-S-S-I-C-A P-A-R-K-S, but I typically go by Jesse. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=6.0,17.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/4","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nAnd, where do you call home? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=17.0,20.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/5","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JESSICA PARKS\n\nWest Ashley, here in Charleston. Yeah, I live in West Ashley in the Old Town area. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=20.0,26.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/6","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nOkay. Originally from Charleston. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=26.0,28.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/7","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JESSICA PARKS\n\nI am not. I am originally from Anderson, South Carolina, which is in the Upstate of South Carolina. I lived there until I went to college and then I moved to Charleston. So, I'm a lifelong South Carolinian. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=28.0,41.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/8","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nIt's okay. Okay. And how do you describe yourself occupation wise now? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=41.0,48.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/9","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JESSICA PARKS\n\nI do myriad things for money. So I'm an insurance agent, a health insurance agent, and I specialize in the Affordable Care Act. I also sell vintage clothing and I periodically work in film as well. I like to be busy. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=48.0,68.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/10","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nA woman of many talents. We're delighted to have you here. You know that we are talking to various people about many of the activities that went on especially in Charleston within the last 12 to 15 years really. But, in talking to you Jesse, it's going to be interesting to hear how Charleston grabbed you. What is it about you that would make being here and being involved in all these activities, where's that coming from? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=68.0,123.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/11","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JESSICA PARKS\n\nSo, when I moved here, the reason I moved to Charleston was because I was seeing someone at the time and I got out of college and I just ended up here. So, I wasn't terribly involved when I first moved here. That was in 2007. I really began to be involved around 2011 with the Occupy movement that was happening nationwide. And from there, I met a lot of people who were organizing within different spheres in Charleston. \n\nAt that time, I was mostly interested in organizing around class and feminist issues, but after Occupy, I started working with Girls Rock, which is an organization here in Charleston and doing more feminist organizing surrounding their Girls Rock camp that they had annually. And from there I became involved in work with Black Lives Matter after the killing of Denzel Curnell by CPD, some people in— ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=123.0,198.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/12","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nCPD being? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=198.0,199.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/13","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JESSICA PARKS\n\nCharleston Police Department by Charleston police. I became aware of this via the news and new people from kind of feminist organizing Charleston who were kind of coalescing around it as well. And so I went to a vigil, I believe it was in August of 2014 on the east side of Mall Park. And then after that, there wasn't really a lot of movement that I was aware of happening surrounding Denzel Curnell, but Eric Garner had been killed in New York the same year in 2014 in the summer. And then in December, I believe, or late November, there was no indictment for the police that killed him. \n\nAnd so I reached out to Brandon Fish, who is also on the advisory board for this project, and asked him if anything was happening in Charleston and how I might become involved. And that's how I became involved in Black Lives Matter Charleston when he invited me to one of the first organizational meetings at the ILA Hall. So yeah, it was kind of a transition of the type of organizing, I guess, that I was doing and an extension of it as I became really just more politically aware and educated. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=199.0,288.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/14","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nTalk a little bit about that. You start with Occupy, I think you had worked with NORML. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=288.0,295.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/15","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JESSICA PARKS\n\nOh yeah. Yes. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=295.0,295.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/16","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nYeah. Tell us what NORML is. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=295.0,298.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/17","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JESSICA PARKS NORML is the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Law. So in college, I went to Clemson University and I've always been progressive. I came from a family that's not politically conservative. Even though I'm from Anderson, South Carolina, my family is not politically conservative. At least my immediate family, my parents, my aunt, uncle. So I think I was drawn to progressive organizing, but didn't have a lot of outlets for it at Clemson because Clemson's not really like a paragon of progressive thought. So NORML was one of the only organizations I could find that was in line with my values. And I came to that because I actually had a grandmother who had cancer and didn't have access to medical marijuana, which would've been incredibly helpful for her. And having seen her suffer and just understanding the need for her to have access to medicine, that's what got me involved with NORML. And from there, I became interested in carceral justice issues, which I hadn't really previously been introduced to.\n\nSo that was a kind of a turning point for me where it went from just... Carceral justice was important to me because there were a lot of carceral trauma in my family as well, but it was something we didn't really talk about or explore. And so that work gave me an avenue to kind of begin to understand that and like this generational trauma that occurs because of the justice system. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=298.0,405.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/18","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nIt's interesting that you mentioned that because so many people assume when you start talking about the criminal justice system that you're talking about black inmates and the disparities, whatever. Do you mind just sharing just a little bit about the reality of carceral injustice in the white community that you experience? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=405.0,434.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/19","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JESSICA PARKS\n\nAbsolutely. So, from a generational level, I had someone in my family who was incarcerated for life. And as a result of that, it deeply affected family dynamics, whether it was his sisters, his nephew. My family was just very deeply in impacted by having someone that they love behind bars, inaccessible, suffering, just even the trauma of going to see them and themselves having to go through the prison system in order to see someone that they love and what that entails, it really left its mark on members of my family and it's something we don't... We still don't talk about it. And when I talk about it, I talk about it vaguely for their privacy because it was so difficult for them to come to terms with, and that’s, and that’s a universal thing. When you have someone you love who is dehumanized, locked up…it takes its toll emotionally on the entire family and that proceeds through generations, because parts of you shut down in order to deal with that because it's a hard thing to be constantly aware of that someone you care for in your family is inaccessible to you because they're locked away. So, that's what it looks like in my family. And I also had an unfortunate incident in college in which I was arrested for driving under suspension. It was an unnecessary arrest, and I didn't know my license was suspended, and I'd actually gone to turn in a term paper that I... And I was speeding through campus, my fault, got pulled over. The cop was like, \"You're speeding.\" I said, \"I can't be late to turn this paper in. It's not a very good paper. If I'm late at all, it's going to get docked a letter grade and this paper cannot afford to be docked a letter grade.\" So, he let me go. And I said, \"I'll be back, I promise.\" So I went, I turned my paper in and I came back, handed them my license, and they were like, \"Are you aware that your license is suspended?\" And I said, \"Well no, or I wouldn't have come back. Obviously.\" And yeah, they pretty much yanked me out of my car, threw me in the ground and took me to jail over what was an unpaid speeding ticket that I never received any kind of notification of. So, that also had an impact on me. I was only there overnight, but just knowing that someone in my family had spent…50 years of their life like that, it really…it had a deep impact on me. Yeah. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=434.0,597.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/20","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nGreat. And so, with the move to Charleston, you're bringing a lot of personal…ties, to some of these issues. So, what's that like meeting Brandon Fish or whomever else? Talk about, how you got immersed in this community of activists. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=597.0,625.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/21","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JESSICA PARKS\n\nOkay. I think that really was around 2011. I became immersed— most of my friends, my close friends, weren't really doing that type of work, and you know, I didn't have a lot of people necessarily with my mindset in regards to these issues, or who had similar background experiences, you know. Many of my friends were more affluent, and just didn't have the same kind of experiences. So, when I saw Occupy, the movement forming in New York, the occupation of Zuccotti Park, and I saw that there was a meeting here, it was in Marion Square. It was just an open meeting and I went, and it was there that I met people who would go on to organize with Black Lives Matter. I believe it was like Matt Rabin, Adrian Barry, I'm forgetting someone important…Ramon Caraballo. I met them at this first Occupy meeting. Brandon— I actually brought Brandon into Occupy. He was at the time more, so focused on music and documenting what was happening in the music scene at Charleston. And so, with Occupy, we were planning a three day occupation. It was permitted because City of Charleston, it was consistent back and forth, but basically they were allowing us three days at Brittlebank Park directly across from the police station of course. So, I reached out to Brandon Fish because I was wondering if he could help me get people to play music to try to lure people to this and to get them to become more politically active and engaged. And so, Brandon was instrumental in helping us organize the kind of cultural aspect of that…that particular project at Brittlebank Park. And from there, he became very heavily and involved in Occupy. But we had been friends prior. He was probably the person with whom I shared kind of the closest mindset. And so, then we really began to kind of organize together and with other people in the community at large. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=625.0,768.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/22","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nHow does Occupy’s issues lead into Black Lives Matter? Help us bridge those passions and— and where you go with them. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=768.0,782.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/23","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JESSICA PARKS\n\nSure. I think for me, I'm not sure if…the issues exactly bridge, because the focus of Occupy was largely economic, you know like the 99%, the 1%, it was talking about increased wealth inequality in the United States, how do we combat that? What do we do? And it was a largely Millennial movement because we'd just gone through the Great Recession. And so, people my age were really economically impacted. And so in a way, I think it was like one of our first movements I felt like that I could participate in for my generation because we didn't have like a strong movement, anti-war movement in the Bush years or anything like that. So this was invigorating and exciting for me. And I think that that is really kind of the bridge itself, was that it was a way for people my age to become politically active. And then, you know, we would have meetings at the I.L.A. hall frequently. And so, via just proximity, I began to understand the history of organizing here in Charleston, for example, with the longshoreman, with the, you know, nurses strike at MUSC, the cigar factory, I— I started to learn about this and about the black organizing and the history of black organizing Charleston. And so, I think that even though there may not necessarily be a clear line politically or thought wise between Occupy and Black Lives Matter, what it did was give exposure and organizing experience to people who didn't previously have access to that. And that to me was more the bridge than an idea necessarily. And also, in a place like Charleston, when you're organizing, you frequently see the same people, right? You see the same people showing up all the time. And so, it became that too. A lot of the people when Occupy was over said, “What do we do?” And then people who cared deeply about issues of social justice, you know, how can we be impactful and make change? And I think that it seemed like a place where that was possible with Black Lives Matter. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=782.0,929.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/24","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nPersonalities are hard to blend. And if you don't have necessarily the same issues, it can be even harder. Do you remember whether it was a struggle or did that come easily to peer these different groups of people? How do you feel about that blending? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=929.0,959.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/25","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JESSICA PARKS\n\nThat was the toughest part. In some ways, the blending of groups of people was really difficult because we're bringing our past, we're bringing our present, we're bringing our hopes for the future. We're bringing our different experiences, and I don't think many of us had experience with coalition building necessarily either. We were just kind of feeling things out, and then boundaries where who— who is prioritized? What are the boundaries? What are the boundaries of participation? And I think that that was difficult initially with Black Lives Matter. I remember going to an early organizational meeting and— at the I.L.A. hall in which white people were asked to leave and I was like, \"Yeah, okay, time to go.\" And I think some other white people were really upset by this. And so, it caused a lot of people to need to step back and examine their privilege who maybe hadn't otherwise, but then there were people who weren't willing to do so. And then there were people like with any movement work, who you know, care about the movement, but also care about the credit. And so you saw, I think a lot of times there with the big personalities kind of conflict beginning to form based around personality, disagreement on tactics, basic philosophical disagreements. It was really difficult to build any kind of coalition. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=959.0,1058.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/26","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nAnd I hope I'm not being unfair to you with this question, but help us understand those philosophical conflicts. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=1058.0,1067.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/27","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JESSICA PARKS\n\nSure. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=1067.0,1069.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/28","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nWhat is it that some people want, but other people don't or don't get? You know, where’s the conflict coming in? If you can be specific. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=1069.0,1080.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/29","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JESSICA PARKS\n\nYeah. Let me think about this for a moment…I think there was a lot of philosophical conflict over method. So some of the philosophical conflict was simply, should we take direct action? What direct action is productive? Is direct action productive? And should we only, you know, participate in direct actions that are sanctioned by the city or not? That was a huge philosophical difference, you know, of people who were willing to operate within a specific power structure, and people who wanted to op— operate outside of the power structure. That was, I would say, one of the core philosophical differences that transcended other differences, individual differences, that was a core difference. And that difference became very prominent early on with Black Lives Matter when direct action began to be taken. So that, that was one- ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=1080.0,1153.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/30","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nDefine direct action. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=1153.0,1156.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/31","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JESSICA PARKS\n\nYeah. Yeah. Direct action. Just, you know… ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=1156.0,1158.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/32","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nIn this context. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=1158.0,1159.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/33","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JESSICA PARKS\n\nIn this context. So, I'd say for instance, when we were planning marches, should we get a permit? If the city ask us to only march on the sidewalk, should we only march on the sidewalk? Should we go south of Calhoun Street because you're not supposed to go south of Calhoun Street, you know. Don't go into business district of King [Street]. So, it differences like that in terms of how, how do we show up and even things such as blocking traffic that's, that was a big one. Yeah. Direct actions just in terms of what, what do our protest look like, and what are the boundaries and parameters of them and who gets to decide that? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=1159.0,1208.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/34","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nWas there much discussion about goals? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=1208.0,1213.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/35","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JESSICA PARKS\n\nThere was a good bit of discussion about goals initially, particularly because really, I feel like a lot of the were organizing really began in December of 2014. And it wasn't long after that in 2015 that Walter Scott was shot and killed by North Charleston police officer Michael Slager… Sorry, I lost track of the question. Can you repeat more time? My brain gets a little… ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=1213.0,1245.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/36","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nJust wondering the extent to which there were specific goals set out for this direct action approach. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=1245.0,1252.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/37","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JESSICA PARKS\n\nYes. So, direct actions right after Walter Scott was killed by a North Charleston police officer. There were instances of blocking traffic on Remount Road and then there was a lot of argument about whether or not like, what is the goal of this? Is the goal of this to draw attention to the movement itself? Is the goal to show that we are powerful enough to obstruct the traffic? There were goals discussed, but sometimes there wasn't a lot of agreement before the action was taken. I would say that there were some more concrete goals. For example, there was a big push for a community advisory board, a citizens advisory board with interview and subpoena powers for the North Charleston police department. And the calls for this came pretty much immediately in the wake of the Walter Scott shooting. And so that was a clear and tangible goal. We need to advocate and we need to get this, this community advisory board. This is, this is a must-have, there needs to be an investigation into racial bias of the North Charleston police department. And so there was a there that was one of the goals. I think that the direct action was really in line with, in terms of attending meetings, North Charleston, city hall, and just pushing for those accountability measures, which ultimately didn't really come to fruition. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=1252.0,1349.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/38","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nAnd how were you involved in that? Were you one of the people showing up at the meetings? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=1349.0,1352.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/39","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JESSICA PARKS\n\nYes, yes, I was showing up at the meetings and also trying to…make space to document them. At the time I was working in publishing, I had started working under the Charleston magazine umbrella in 2014, and I was the editorial director of an online blog called Charleston Grit. And they hired me to rebrand it. So, I wanted to make it— you know they wanted to be grittier, and I just took that to be just more representative of what Charleston is. And I kind of knew early on that was not going to be a long thing for me. \n\nI just couldn’t— it just wasn't a great cultural fit for me, but I had a lot of leeway and so I was able to publish articles and photographs, things talking about the movement work that was happening with Black Lives Matter. Erica Veal wrote articles I had, there was a photographer, Matt Killdup up who would go and document the protest and record some of the protest happening at city hall as well. So, it was a, it was a strange line I was kind of trying to tip-toe. I'm not a journalist. So I— this was a blog. So, I felt like it could be— I could be honest in my views, but it was a, it was a weird line to toe.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=1352.0,1442.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/40","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nTalk a little bit about the role of organizing and especially using social media. Do you look back on it now and say, “Wow, it's great the way we did it, or we maybe should have done something differently.” How do you see the issue being brought forward through the means and mechanisms that people are using at that point, social media, podcasts, whatever?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=1442.0,1481.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/41","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JESSICA PARKS\n\nYeah. We were doing a lot of background organizing on social media. I would say one of the things we were not doing really well is doing a lot of our organizing via Facebook messenger, and not necessarily vetting people who were in these private discussions, you know. We were having leaks to law enforcement, for example. So that was, that was an issue with social media, is it's hard to really kind of vet people? But in terms of getting people out and supporting the movement, it was incredibly impactful. We were using Twitter, there was a Black Lives Matter account. You know, people— we were getting lots of retweets. There was obviously a lot of media focus on Charleston at the time. And so, I think because of that media focus in conjunction with social media, it made it easy to get people to come out for protests, but it wasn't really the best strategy for organizing the direct actions. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=1481.0,1555.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/42","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nAre there other organizing tools that you can remember that you utilized that maybe were, well, I-I won't say more successful, but were there other tools? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=1555.0,1568.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/43","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JESSICA PARKS\n\nYeah, we did a lot of in-person meetings as well. A lot of our organizing was done via email. And then we, initially, we were doing some kind of door to door knocking, organizing. I remember doing this with my friend, Ramon, who lives— he lived on, at the time, on the east side. And we were going door to door and talking to people in the community… ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=1568.0,1597.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/44","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nTalk to us like you're knocking on my door. What do you think? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=1597.0,1600.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/45","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JESSICA PARKS\n\nWell, Ramon did most of the talking because I— my presence was probably not the best for the, the outreach that we were doing in a historically black neighborhood. But we would go to the door and knock and someone would come and we'd just be like, “Hi, how are you? You know, do you live here? My name's Ramon, my name's Jesse. And we are just here to talk to you. Have you heard of Black Lives Matter?” You know, “Are you aware of this movement or are you aware of what's happening? What's happened in terms of like with Charleston police department and North Charleston police department, the people who have lost their lives at the hands of law enforcement here in Charleston?” And we started to just kind of have conversations and try to open it up for people to relay experiences and concerns. And, and just to let people know that there was work here happening in regards to this, as well. And obviously there was always been work here happening, but that this was something that people were focusing on and, and, you know, young people were focusing on. And so, yeah, it was really just kind of a friendly, it was conversational. It was, it was very similar to this just, “Hi, how are you? What’s— how long have you lived here?” And just trying to meet people where they were at and engaging their interest and letting them know about upcoming actions. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=1600.0,1691.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/46","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nAnd what do you— how would you describe the responses to people? I go to my door and there's this young white woman and there's this Ramon is, is black. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=1691.0,1708.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/47","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JESSICA PARKS\n\nYes. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=1708.0,1709.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/48","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nYou know, what kind of responses did you get? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=1709.0,1713.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/49","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JESSICA PARKS\n\nNot great responses. So I think we did it for a few hours and then we went and talked about it and I was like, “I think my presence is making people uncomfortable,” and he's like, “Yeah, totally.” And so I was like, “Well, I'm just going to go home.” And that was kind of one of those early missteps of organizing where I didn't understand the impact it would have for me to knock on someone's door, who more than likely is black and accompanied by a gentleman who was black and have these conversations, it wasn't productive. And so it was one of those, it was really a learning moment for me moving forward. And we you know, at this, at this time, it was almost like when you're cooking spaghetti and you're not sure if it's done. So you like get the new noodle and throw it on the wall to see if it sticks. I think we were doing a lot of like throwing a noodle on a wall to see if it stuck, to see, to see what worked and what didn't. And that didn't work. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=1713.0,1780.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/50","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nYeah. If you were going to talk about what you think the best or most successful part of your efforts were, what did— what, what comes to mind? What did this period bring forth that you think is worthy of sharing with other people or for future organizers? Where did you think y'all got it right? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=1780.0,1810.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/51","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JESSICA PARKS\n\nWhere did we get it rights. It's a tough question…I think we got it right in galvanizing the public to action, to showing up. I think that was one way in which we got it right. I think that, public…I think public sentiment surrounding Black Lives Matter is always going to be very divided, oftentimes along lines of race. But I think one thing that we did really well was presenting a counter narrative that has a semblance of permanence. And I think it was really difficult to do that, because at an institutional level, the city was presenting its own narrative about what was happening. And so what a lot of the work that we were doing was countering that. And I would say that's one thing we did really well was getting people involved and countering narratives and off and— but in terms of, you know, policy change, there wasn't a lot. It was really difficult to make change because, you know, a lot of this is happening in 2015. And then we head directly into the Trump years so. For example, with the community, the citizen's advisory board, what happened the DOJ shut it down when there was a Neo-Confederate attorney general, Jeff Sessions, under Trump, you know. That's what happened with the citizen's advisory board and the review of the NCPD. All of those reviews were shut down, you know, at a federal level. And so, we were up against so much during that time that to make impactful policy change was difficult, but I think…I think it changed a lot of people's minds or made them aware in ways they hadn't been prior. I can say that about other white people, from conversations that I've had with other white people, they became much more aware. Yeah, it's really hard for me to even, I guess, say what we did best. I mean things have changed here, you know. For example, like with monuments, the flag in South Carolina, some things have changed, and those are big, but in Charleston, it's kind of hard to say. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=1810.0,2000.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/52","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nDo you... Let me start again. How representative do you think you are statistically? Is Jesse a part of a growing number of white citizens of, of white citizens of your age in Charleston who are getting turned on to these issues? Or is Jesse still feeling just kind of one of a few? You know what, what— do you feel that your impact is being replicated with others? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=2000.0,2047.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/53","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JESSICA PARKS\n\nThat's for a good question. Gosh, I hope so. You know with 2020, and the uprisings of the summer of 2020, I did see a lot of young white folks participating. And I think…I think that white, young, white people are more willing to accept that we have different privileges when it comes to how we move through the world. I think that is becoming a more generally accepted premise. And I don't think that that premise would've been as generally accepted without Black Lives Matter, that it made it undeniable for a whole lot of, a whole lot of white folks in Charleston. It's hard to say because demographically is changing so much and becoming so much more conservative overall. So I'm not sure if I can speak to the white people in Charleston, in their minds. Because I mean if you look at how we're voting, it's not looking— it was actually more progressive politically in 2015, but I know a lot of that is gentrification. I— statistically I can't say how many white people may have changed their minds or become more politically aware, but I do feel like with Black Lives Matter and, that it's definitely— I would say it's more than previously. Yeah. I would say it's increased. I hope it's increased. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=2047.0,2151.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/54","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nSorry. How are you feeling about the future—","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=2151.0,2155.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/55","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JESSICA PARKS\n\nFuture…","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=2155.0,2155.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/56","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\n —in terms of the possibilities of change? You know, you know, what’s your forecast, if you will, for bringing about the kinds of changes that you work so hard to see happen? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=2155.0,2176.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/57","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JESSICA PARKS\n\nI mean I think it's possible or I wouldn't keep trying, and I think that's something we all have in common. I think activists— people, you know, think you're the most serious person, but in actuality, most activists I know are incredibly optimistic or else we wouldn't be doing this, if we didn't think there was a capacity for change. So in that vein, I'm always optimistic that things are going to get better. It's hard. It really, is hard to say here in Charleston, it is hard to say here. I mean, the gentrification has been rapid and violent, and, you know, we're seeing more representation by politically conservative folks at a congressional level, at a city level. So, but you know, whenever that it happens, I think that you also get the reaction to that. You get the push. And I guess that my optimism is always in that push, because I know that there will be people who are willing to work against that. And that will be a galvanizing, have a galvanizing effect on them rather than impressive effect. So, yeah, I'm still optimistic. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=2176.0,2246.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/58","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nYou know that by documenting you and your experiences and your cohorts experiences of this era, that 20 years down the road, somebody's going to be listening to these words, you know. What would you say? What is it that you think you want have on the record, for folks in the future. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=2246.0,2279.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/59","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JESSICA PARKS\n\nI would want them to pay attention to dominant narratives and figure out ways that they can work against them. Because, I think that's oftentimes where change can be made is affecting narratives, and that's incredibly difficult work, but I'm hoping that when people look at this, that they know that people in Charleston were working as hard as they could, to not just dismantle oppressive institutions, but dismantle oppres— oppressive narratives. And that's work that we can all do. I hope that people look at the narratives that formed in Charleston in 2015, and question them. I hope people look at the impact that some of these narratives had, like specifically something I think about a lot is the kind of co-opting of the unity narrative at an institutional level in Charleston. And I refer to that as the white unity narrative. You know, I think it's important that when people look at this, that they examine how the good intentions of people can be used at an institutional level to enact kind of, I guess a negative piece, you know, to be used to quell tension…and as an impediment to justice. That's kind of something that I hope when people look back and research this, that they look at, not just the actions, Black Lives Matter, that activists were taking, but they look at the actions the city was taking in order to suppress and disenfranchise activists, you know, because it— one of the things that was so difficult was as you know, after, after Mother Emmanuel, three days later, there was an event I believe it's called like the “Bridge to Peace.” And at this event, someone was invited to speak who was a representative Black Lives Matter, but was not a representative of Black Lives Matter. And he very dramatically proclaimed that like all lives matter and ripped off his Black Lives Matter shirt while standing next to a police officer, or the police chief, from Mount Pleasant. And there were 10,000 people in attendance for this holding hands while this person was saying all lives matter. And that became kind of the narrative, you know. And that was the point at which it became very difficult for us to organize because any kind of organizing was seen as counter to unity because what— because yeah, the white unity narrative kind of became like the propaganda negative piece. And so activists who in fact were calling for justice became to be seen as impediments to unity. And that is something that I hope when people look at this, that they examine those narratives, and how those narratives are probably still occurring and how organizations and business people, government, media, coalesce around these things in order to kind of prevent change. Yeah. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=2279.0,2498.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/60","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nVery wise. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=2498.0,2499.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/61","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JESSICA PARKS\n\nYeah. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=2499.0,2500.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/62","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nNo. Well, we're glad to have you on the record. Thank you so much. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=2500.0,2505.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380/transcript/84163/annotation/63","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JESSICA PARKS\n\nThank you so much. I appreciate it. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160068/file/291380#t=2505.0,2506.367"}]}]}]}