The Root is about to take you on a ride throughout history, spotlighting the remarkable achievements and stories of Black people, who have consistently survived and thrived despite systemic oppression and adversity.
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We know Black Americans’ success has often been shaped by hardships– notably slavery and Jim Crow. But throughout all of the trauma, our strong history also gave rise to figures like Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. They say history makes the man, and in the case of Dr. King, Jim Crow and segregation demanded a Black leader like him willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of the Civil Rights Movement.
Follow along this entire month through stories, videos, and series all illustrating Black Americans’ contributions while showcasing our resilience, resistance and the continuous building of a better future against the odds. And speaking of a better future, we’re taking a look at his legacy and who could possibly fill Dr. King shoes next. These 13 leaders– many of which are young Gen-Z stars– have exactly what it takes to take on King’s baton… Just take a look.
Rev. William Barber II
Rev. William Barber II has taken a chapter directly out of Dr. King’s book. Barber was born in Indianapolis but moved to North Carolina to participate in the desegregation of the public school system. Decades later, and Barber is still following in King’s footsteps.
Barber notably co-founded the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for a Moral Revival, an anti-poverty movement birthed out of the ashes of Dr. King’s original Poor People’s Campaign of 1968. Like King, Barber’s been jailed and targeted for his activism. Not only is he a practicing reverend, but Barber is also a social activist, professor and founding director of the Center for Public Theology & Public Policy at Yale Divinity School, and he success can be traced back to the lasting legacy of Dr. King.
Bernice King
Dr. Bernice King has never shied away for the legacy of her father. She’s the CEO of the King Center and is a civil rights leader in her own right. Like her father, Bernice relies on the power of the Church and the word of God to push her advocacy forward.
She even told The Root, “We need that kind of unity so that the power of God can come in and through us the way it came through the people that were working with my father and the movement.”
Mari Copeny
Mari Copeny became known as Little Miss Flint after then-President Barack Obama about the water crisis in Flint, Mich. She’s now 18 years old and is still advocating for clean water in her city and for civil rights, calling out politicians not doing enough. She was awarded the Changemaker Award during the 2022 Billboard Music Awards.
Despite her young age, Copeny’s advocacy has inspired a new generation of leaders fighting for change. She reminds us of MLK because of her tenacity and charisma.
Lee Merritt
As a civil rights attorney, Lee Merritt has also helped launch the American Black Cross disaster relief organization. He’s respected for his work tackling police brutality cases. He notably represented Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.
The Morehouse College graduate also represented Ahmaud Arbery, the 25-year-old Georgian man who was shot and killed while jogging. “This case is revealing more and more that, not only was Ahmaud Arbery murdered by men who had racial motivations, but those men were protected by a system bent on devaluing the life of Ahmaud Arbery,” Merritt said in 2021.
Thandiwe Abdullah
Thandiwe Abdullah started attending political rallies as a child with her mother, Melina Abdullah, a prominent activist. By the age of nine, Thandiwe was involved in the growing Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and gave speech during a rally for Trayvon Martin. In 2015, Abdullah launched the BLM Youth Vanguard for the next generation to get involved.
Bryan Stevenson
Bryan Stevenson, the Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative, dedicated his life to representing prisoners on death row. His best-selling book, “Just Mercy,” brought him into the mainstream, but he is still making real change behind the scenes.
In the book-turned-film starring Michael B. Jordan, Stevenson tackles the heartbreaking case of Walter McMillian, a Black man who was wrongfully sentenced to death for a murder he did not commit. With Stevenson’s help, McMillian was released.
Amanda Gorman
Poet and activist Amanda Gorman catapulted to fame after a speech during former President Joe Biden’s inauguration. Recently, she was announced as UNICEF’s new ambassador, according to reports. Similar to MLK, Gorman uses her words to impact change. She recently penned a poem to Renee Good, the American citizen shot and killed by ICE in Minneapolis.
DeRay Mckesson
Baltimore activist DeRay Mckesson rose to prominence as a community organizer and the host of Crooked Media’s award-winning podcast, “Pod Save the People,” after the killing of Mike Brown and the protests in 2014. He’s the co-founder of Campaign Zero, a social justice organization.
In 2016, he tossed his name in the Baltimore mayoral race but loss with less than three percent of the vote. After the killing of Alton Sterling in 2016, Mckesson protested and was arrested. The charges against him were later dropped.
Brittany Packnett Cunningham
Brittany Packnett Cunningham began protesting after killing of Mike Brown. Cunningham co-founded Campaign Zero with Mckesson and is active in the Children’s Defense Fund Action Council and the board of New Disabled South.
Former M.O. Gov. Jay Nixon appointed her to the Ferguson Commission in response to protests after Brown’s killing. The Washington Post even described Cunningham as “heavily involved in the planning and coordination of the Ferguson protest.”
Ben Crump
Ben Crump has dedicated his life to criminal justice specializing in civil rights cases and wrongful death lawsuits. He’s represented the families of countless Black and brown victims, but the case that brought him to the forefront of civil rights law came in 2012 with the murder of Trayvon Martin.
Over the years, Crump has catapulted to the mainstream media for his impressive legal record and more importantly, his ability to connect with everyday people and advocate for the voiceless. He’s also represented Breonna Taylor, Michael Brown, George Floyd, Keenan Anderson, Sonya Massey and Tyre Nichols.
Kristen Clarke
Kristen Clarke is a lawyer, who previously served as the assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice. She also worked with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
The Harvard University graduate “grew up in a household that was about discipline, working hard in school and about making the most of every opportunity,” she previously said. Her background as a New Yorker and daughter of immigrants makes her one of the most well-rounded leaders of her time.
Derrick Johnson
HBCU graduate, Derrick Johnson, previously served as the president of the Mississippi chapter of the NAACP before becoming the CEO of the national NAACP. He most notably wrote an opinion piece explaining the connection between COVID-19 and Black death.
In his role, Johnson has spearheaded NAACP Capital, a fund connected to the NAACP’s “mission of achieving equity, political rights, and social inclusion for Black people and all persons of color,” according to the website. Johnson also led the “We Are Done Dying” Campaign in 2020 to address systemic racism in the healthcare system during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
LaTosha Brown
LaTosha Brown started the Black Voters Matter Fund back in 2016 after realizing a gap between Black and non-Black voter turnout. She’s been recognized for her commitment to voter rights in the South, where most Black Americans live. Brown was raised in Selma, Alabama– a known battle ground city during the fight for civil rights. It’s this experience that pushed her into the world of advocacy.
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