Samuel Sinyangwe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Samuel Sinyangwe
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| Born | May 12, 1990 |
| Alma mater | Stanford University |
| Occupation | Policy analyst, activist |
| Era | 21st century |
| Organization | Mapping Police Violence |
Samuel Sinyangwe (born May 12, 1990) is an American expert who studies and suggests ways to solve problems, especially in government. He is also an activist who works for fairness for all races.
Sinyangwe is part of the Movement for Black Lives. He started Mapping Police Violence, which is a collection of information about when police use deadly force in the United States. He also created the Police Scorecard, a website with facts about how police departments use force. Sinyangwe helped start We the Protestors, a group that creates online tools. These tools include Campaign Zero, which is a plan to stop police violence. He also helps host the Pod Save the People podcast, where he talks about important news with other activists.
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Early Life and Education
Samuel Sinyangwe was born on May 12, 1990. His father was from Tanzania, and his mother was European Jewish. They met while studying at Cornell University. Samuel grew up in Orlando, Florida, in a neighborhood called College Park. He went to Winter Park High School and was part of the International Baccalaureate program.
Sinyangwe has shared that growing up in Florida, often being one of the few Black children among white friends, helped shape his future work. He later graduated from Stanford University. There, he studied how race, politics, and money are connected in America.
How Samuel Sinyangwe Started His Work
Sinyangwe began his career at an organization called PolicyLink. He worked with their Promise Neighborhoods Institute. In 2014, protests started after the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Sinyangwe connected with activists from Ferguson online.
He teamed up with DeRay Mckesson, Brittney Packnett, and Johnetta Elzie. Together, they worked to find solutions for police violence in America. Sinyangwe noticed that the government did not keep official records of police violence. So, he started gathering this information from other sources. He wanted to show that police shootings were not rare events.
Creating Tools for Change
With other activists, Sinyangwe helped create We the Protestors. This group focuses on building digital tools to support Black Lives Matter efforts. Sinyangwe built two important projects:
- Mapping Police Violence: This is a database that tracks police killings.
- Campaign Zero: This is a set of policy ideas designed to end police violence.
Sinyangwe also works as a data scientist for OurStates.org. This project focuses on state laws and lawmakers. He also helped start the Resistance Manual with DeRay Mckesson and Brittney Packnett. This is an open-source project that connects activists working against racism with those focused on other related issues.
Speaking Out and Using Data
During the 2016 U.S. Presidential campaign, Sinyangwe and his colleagues met with presidential candidates. They discussed their ideas for policy changes. Sinyangwe has also used facts and figures to challenge the idea known as the "Ferguson Effect." This theory suggested that policing had decreased and crime had gone up because activists were watching police actions closely. Sinyangwe's data showed this was not true.
Writer Melissa Harris-Perry has compared Sinyangwe to Ida B. Wells. Wells was a journalist and activist who fought against lynching long ago. Harris-Perry noted that Wells also started her work by collecting data to understand and stop violence.
Podcasting and Media
Sinyangwe is a co-host of DeRay Mckesson's podcast, Pod Save the People. On the show, he discusses the week's news with other activists. The podcast often talks about race, community activism, and different types of unfairness.
Sinyangwe has also been featured on many news channels and publications. These include CNN, MSNBC, BBC News, FiveThirtyEight, and The Los Angeles Times. He has also written articles for The Huffington Post and The Guardian.
Awards and Recognition
In 2017, Samuel Sinyangwe was recognized on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for law and policy. This list highlights young leaders in different fields. He also received an Echoing Green Black Male Achievement Fellowship in 2017.
Personal Life
Samuel Sinyangwe lives in New York City.
Selected Writings
- "Examining the Role of Use of Force Policies in Ending Police Violence", Police Use of Force Project, September 20, 2016.
