Johnetta Elzie facts for kids

Johnetta "Netta" Elzie, born on April 16, 1989, is an important American civil rights activist. She helps lead a group called We The Protesters. Netta also works with fellow activist DeRay Mckesson to create a newsletter. This newsletter, called This Is the Movement, shares news about protests in Ferguson.

Early Life and Education

Netta Elzie grew up in North County St. Louis. Her mother owned a hair salon there. Netta went to a private school named Our Lady of Good Counsel. Often, she was the only Black student in her class. Later, she studied journalism in college. She attended Southeast Missouri State.

Becoming a Civil Rights Activist

Netta Elzie became involved in activism after a major event. On August 9, 2014, she learned about the death of Michael Brown. She found out through Twitter that his body was left in the street. This was very close to where she grew up.

Documenting Events in Ferguson

Netta was already sad because her own mother had recently passed away. She drove to the place where Michael Brown died. She started tweeting about what she saw there. She quickly became involved in the protests. She helped organize volunteers and donations. She also kept documenting everything that happened. A reporter named Wesley Lowery wrote a book about these events. He called Netta "the most prominent of the citizen journalists." She was telling the story of the Ferguson protests.

Mapping Police Violence

Netta Elzie was active in protests in Ferguson, Missouri and Baltimore, Maryland. She worked with DeRay Mckesson and a data scientist named Samuel Sinyangwe. Together, they created "Mapping Police Violence." This project collected information about people killed by police in 2014.

Recognized for Her Work

Many important publications have recognized Netta Elzie. The Los Angeles Times named her one of "The new civil rights leaders." They saw her as an important new voice for the 21st century. The New York Times wrote about Netta and DeRay Mckesson. They said these two leaders built "the nation's first 21st-century civil rights movement." In January 2015, The Atlantic magazine also named her a leader. They recognized her role in the Black Lives Matter Movement.

Using Social Media for Change

Netta uses social media like Twitter a lot in her activism. It helps her share information and connect with others. She has also worked as a field organizer for Amnesty International. She volunteered with a girls' group in St. Louis called the Sophia Project.

Awards and Recognition

Netta Elzie and DeRay Mckesson received a special award in 2015. It was the Howard Zinn Freedom to Write Award. The New England branch of PEN gave them this award for their activism.

They were also named among the "World’s Greatest Leaders" by Fortune magazine in 2015. They were two of 53 people on this important list.

See also

• Ferguson unrest
• 2015 Baltimore protests
• Black Lives Matter Movement