The Planning Team

For all inquiries, please contact info@wetheprotesters.org.

@nettaaaaaaaa, 25, is a resident of St. Louis who has been documenting the events in Ferguson on Twitter. She is Co-Editor of the #Ferguson Protester Newsletter. Before the death of Mike Brown, Netta volunteered with a girls group, called the Sophia Project, in the city of Saint Louis. The group focuses on helping teenage girls navigate through life. Her essay “When I close my eyes at night, I see people running from tear gas” was published in Ebony Magazine on September 9, 2014.  Since then, Elzie has been one of the youth activist voices that has taken the message of resistance internationally to media outlets like Aljazeera.com, The Feminist Wire,  the Wallstreet Journal, GlobalGrind.com and Huffingtonpost.com.

@deray, 29, is the former Senior Director of Human Capital with Minneapolis Public Schools and is a Teach For America alum, having taught 6th grade math in NYC. He has been documenting the events of Ferguson via twitter (@deray) and is the Founder and Co-Editor of the Ferguson Protestor Newsletter. He is an activist, organizer, and educator focusing primarily on issues impacting children, youth, and families. He previously worked for the Harlem Children’s Zone and TNTP, opened an academic enrichment center in West Baltimore, and with Baltimore City Public Schools leading systemic human capital change.

@samswey, 24, works with communities of color to fight systemic racism through cutting-edge policies and strategies. Sam works at PolicyLink, where he connects a national network of 61 Promise Neighborhoods communities to research-based strategies to build cradle-to-career systems of support for low-income families. He also helps city leaders, youth activists and community organizations develop citywide agendas to achieve quality education, health, and justice for young black men. Sam grew up in Orlando, FL, and has been involved in community organizing and advocacy since he was in high school. He graduated from Stanford University in 2012, where he studied how race and racism impact the U.S. political system.

@MsPackyetti, 30, is North St. Louis County native and serves as Executive Director of Teach For America – St. Louis, which serves 20,000 low-income students across the region.  She has been leveraging her privilege to amplify the voice of students and young people in Ferguson- the true leaders of this work- carrying their message to multiple national and international media outlets, facilitating the #FergusonFireside Conference Calls with America, serving as a supporting editor of the #Ferguson newsletter, engaging students in critically conscious leadership development, and helping lead Teach For Ferguson during school closings due to early unrest in the region.  She previously taught 3rd Grade in Southeast Washington, DC, and worked in federal education policy and advocacy for low-income students of color around the nation. Brittany was recently appointed to the Ferguson Commission and to President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing.  She was named by TIME Magazine as one of 12 New Faces of Black Leadership in January 2015.

@WyzeChef, 33, is a married, lifelong resident of St. Louis and the father of 3 young boys. He is employed full-time and has been involved in the movement since August 9th as a citizen journalist via social media. He has become a committed activist and organizer post August 9th, fighting for a world that will love and protect his sons, his brother, and his friends. He actively uses Twitter to offer commentary on the movement and to live-tweet.

@Re_Invent_ED, 24, has lived in North County for most of her life. Having nephews and and other family the same age as Mike Brown, she was instantly devoted to improving the system that led to a tragic loss of life of Mike Brown. She fights for justice and equality while working two jobs. She attended local colleges and is committed to this work until justice is obtained. As an organizer, she often leads chants and crowd engagement strategies and has assisted in planning many protest actions. She uses Twitter as a means of conveying the truth about what is happening in Ferguson.