Michael Brown remembered on 10th anniversary of his death
“I try and do things that represent him so people can remember who he was.”
The All Roads Lead to Ferguson Unity Walk took place in honor of Michael Brown Jr., on Aug. 9, the 10th anniversary of the killing of the young Ferguson teen by former Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson.
The march began at Normandy High School, where Brown graduated in 2014, and ended at the Canfield Apartments where he was shot and killed. Blue roses and teddy bears lined the street leading to the spot where his body lay in the August heat for four hours. The makeshift memorial was created to honor his memory and the fight for justice.
“The royal blue is Mike Brown Jr.’s favorite color,” said his stepmother, Cal Brown. She said three weeks before his death they went to Home Depot and bought royal blue paint to paint his bedroom. “I try to do things that represent him so people can remember who he was.”
She believes it’s going to take unity for St. Louis to move forward. “Unity is the most important thing, especially here in St. Louis, there is so much work to be done and if we don’t do it together we are going to continue to have to lay roses,” Brown said. “We have to unite, it doesn’t matter what color you are, we all have to come together. We have to start loving each other and valuing each other.”
Brown’s death brought international attention to the Black Lives Matter Movement and the “Hands Up Don’t Shoot” mantra. For a decade, Brown’s family and impacted communities have been fighting for justice for the wrongful death of Mike Brown Jr. The St. Louis region has had to grapple with the systemic racism that affects families north of Delmar and parts of North County in response to days and months of civil unrest in the small North County suburb of Ferguson, which was seen under the microscope of both national and international news outlets.
At the march, activists chanted “No Justice No Peace!” in Brown’s honor. Many kept repeating his name to make sure the world does not forget that tragic day. A 10-second countdown came shortly after prayer and butterflies were released in Mike Brown’s memory as family, friends, and supporters shouted, “We love you, Mike Brown.”
“We should never forget brother Mike Brown,” Dr. Cornel West shouted to the crowd. Ferguson protester Charli Cooksey, founder and CEO of We Power, observed over the last 10 years that St. Louis has started to build the infrastructure for Black political power to help transform the region into a more equitable society.
“We have wins that imply we are headed in the right direction, but we have a lot more work to do,” she said. Being a part of the grassroots organizations that came out of the Ferguson movement, Cooksey points out that the services that those organizations provide weren’t an option 10 years ago. “The death of Mike Brown Jr. and the uprising has given us permission to speak our truth about what was never working about this region and to act on our truth by building power unapologetically.”
U.S. Congresswoman Cori Bush (D-MO) said that so many of the activists and protesters have become better people in the aftermath. “Remember where we started from, remember why we started this,” Bush said. “There has still not been accountability, there has still not been justice for his family.”
Ashley Winters is a Report for America reporter for the St. Louis American.