Derecka Purnell facts for kids
Derecka Purnell is an American lawyer, writer, and organizer. She is well-known for her book, Becoming Abolitionists, published in 2021. This book received many good reviews from different publications.
Early Life and Education
Derecka Purnell grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. She earned her first degree from the University of Missouri–Kansas City.
While in college, she became very interested in politics. This happened after the death of Trayvon Martin. At that time, she supported making changes to the police system. She also helped organize protests during the Ferguson Uprising. This was after the death of Michael Brown. Purnell then started studying writers like Rachel Herzing and Ruth Wilson Gilmore. These writers talk about the idea of changing how policing works. Later, she earned her law degree from Harvard Law School.
Career Highlights
Purnell works as a human rights lawyer and a writer. She believes in using money from policing to improve basic services. These services include housing and healthcare. She thinks these services can help prevent crime. She also helped write a plan called #8ToAbolition.
Her first book, Becoming Abolitionists: Police, Protests, and the Pursuit of Freedom, came out in October 2021. She was inspired to write it after many people started talking about changing the justice system. This discussion grew after the George Floyd protests. Kirkus Reviews chose her book as one of the best books of 2021.
Purnell writes columns for The Guardian. Her articles have also appeared in many other magazines and newspapers. These include The New York Times, Teen Vogue, and Cosmopolitan. She is also an editor for Hammer & Hope. This is a magazine about Black politics and culture.
During the coronavirus pandemic, Purnell helped create a project. It was called the COVID19 Policing Project. This project tracked police arrests and actions related to public health rules.
Awards and Recognition
In 2017, Derecka Purnell received an award. It was from the National Lawyers Guild Massachusetts Chapter. She also got a special fellowship from the Skadden Foundation.
In 2022, the Marguerite Casey Foundation named her a Freedom Scholar. This award recognizes people who work for social change.
Personal Life
Derecka Purnell is a mother of two children.
