‘There’s a space that can never be filled’: Syracuse friends mourn loss of BLM leader, community organizer
Updated 11:43 AM;
Today 9:59 AM
Nikeeta Slade (left), 32, died Thursday. She was a community organizer and one of the original members of the Syracuse chapter of Black Lives Matter. Her friends pictured are SeQuoia Kemp (center) and Montinique McEachern (left). (Courtesy of SeQuoia Kemp)
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In the last few days, Nikeeta Slade’s friends have recalled her speeches.
One friend remembered a seven-minute speech at the Jerry Rescue statue in Syracuse right after Donald Trump won the 2016 election. She’s played the video of it several times since Slade died.
PHOTOS BY JACOB WALSH BrandonEv White (left), aka Bushido Garvey, was one of several Rochester rappers to appear on Negus Don t Bow, produced by Cello Brown. In his new politically-charged song, Rochester rapper BrandonEv White challenges the listener with a simple question: “How U MAGA???” The message meant to challenge complicity with racism and white supremacy is delivered via a musical Trojan horse of smooth jazz saxophone set over a loping hip-hop beat. It is as if White is trying to make a bitter pill easier to swallow for a white easy-listening audience. While “How U MAGA???” is quick to point out the bigotry of former President Donald Trump, White also picks generational failures in the American economic, political, and media landscapes that have perpetuated the marginalization of Black people.