On April 23, WEAA’s The Marc Steiner Show hosted a panel discussion on reaction to the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old man who died of a spinal injury a week after being chased and tackled by police officers in Baltimore. The story has drawn national attention and has sparked widespread discussion and debate.
Kimberly Moffitt, an associate professor of American studies, participated in the discussion along with several longtime community organizers and activists, including Rev. Dr. Heber Brown, Pastor of Pleasant Hope Baptist Church and Executive Director of Orita’s Cross Freedom School; Tawanda Jones, sister of Tyrone West, a man who died while in police custody in July 2013 in Baltimore; Megan Sherman, Producer at The Real News Network; Tim Wilson, co-Director of On Our Shoulders; and A. F. James MacArthur, blogger for the Baltimore Spectator, who spent several months in jail in 2013, following a standoff with the police.
During the program, Moffitt discussed her viewpoints on the city’s reaction to Freddie Gray’s death and analyzed some of the language used by city officials in discussing the case. To listen to the powerful segment in its entirety, click here.
Tags: AmericanStudies, CAHSS
