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Amadou Diallo Foundation Hosts Benefit Gala On Anniversary Of His Death

The event honored individuals instrumental in fighting for justice for Diallo and others who lost their lives at the hands of police.

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Eighteen years after the death of Amadou Diallo––an unarmed 23-year-old college student from Liberia who was fatally shot by police officials in the doorway of his Bronx apartment building––his family has turned their tragedy into triumph by using the young man’s legacy as an avenue to combat police brutality and advocate for education.

Diallo’s loved ones, politicians, civil rights advocates, and the mothers of individuals who have fallen victim to police brutality, gathered Thursday at the Alhambra Ballroom in Harlem for the second annual Amadou Diallo Foundation benefit dinner.

The event, hosted to raise scholarship funds for promising students, celebrated Diallo’s legacy and honored individuals who were instrumental in fighting for justice for Diallo and others who lost their lives at the hands of police officers. ABC reporter A.J. Ross served as the MC. Among those honored included former New York City mayor David Dinkins, former Rep. Charles Rangel, and Rev. Al Sharpton.

“Through the 18 years, you’ve supported us; not only my family, but many others after Amadou,” said Diallo’s mother Kadiatou Diallo. “Thank you for letting the community know that you are the shoulders in which we can stand on in a time of crisis.”

During the dinner, the award recipients, who were on the front lines fighting for Diallo’s family, recounted the sacrifices they made for the sake of justice. Dinkins, Rangel, and Sharpton all shared their experiences during the 1999 demonstrations at One Police Plaza following Diallo’s death, during which scores of people were apprehended.

The Rev. Sharpton delved into how pivotal it was for Dinkins to participate in the protests and risk being arrested. “He knew that if he made that statement, it would resonate all over the world. Because he sacrificed, the world stopped and had to deal with police brutality,” said Sharpton.

Grammy-nominated soul vocalist Aloe Blacc delivered a powerful live performance. He says he wants to use his music as a way to show the younger generation how they can utilize their art for social change.

Although the event was celebratory, keynote speaker Dr. Steve Perry, Head of Capital Preparatory Schools, ended the evening on a serious note as he touched on the current political climate, the state of race relations in America, and the strained relationship between law enforcement officials and communities of color.

“Tonight, we’re here to celebrate the life of a man who racism killed. The same racism that has elected this President; internalized and positioned in such a way that it’s become a cancer that has us thinking that we can’t even trust each other,” said Dr. Perry. “We’re here today to give comfort to a family that has lost someone that they love; whose life was cut short by violence. We’ve got to get tired of this; so tired that we change and make it so that this is a rare occasion.”

Those in attendance included the father of Sean Bell, William Bell, and the mother of Eric Garner, Gwen Carr.

SEE ALSO:

‘Heal Our Communities:’ Amadou Diallo’s Legacy Celebrated In Harlem

Watch Sankofa’s Powerful Message Against Police Brutality Featuring Michael B. Jordan

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117 Black Men And Boys Killed By Police

UPDATED: 2:30 p.m. ET, Sept. 2, 2021 -- The centuries-old American tradition of police shooting and killing Black males suffered an untraditional jolt in April when former cop Derek Chauvin was found guilty and convicted on all counts for murdering George Floyd by kneeling on the unarmed, handcuffed man's neck for more than nine minutes. MORE: #SayHerName: Black Women And Girls Killed By Police But it has been a quick resumption to police normalcy with multiple killings of Black people by law enforcement since the day of Chauvin's verdict in April. That has been especially true in Washington, D.C., where police shot three people in one week, killing two of them, including George D. Watson during a fatal encounter on Tuesday night. According to the police narrative, officers responded after someone called 911 to report a man brandishing a gun on an apartment balcony. The Washington Post reported that a cop fired at Watson when he aimed the gun at police. The 34-year-old died on the scene. Officers ultimately determined that Watson was armed with a pellet gun typically used with paintballs that does not pose any lethal threat. Watson's names join a long list of other Black men and boys killed by the police, including people who have become household names for all the wrong reasons like Tamir Rice, Botham Jean, E.J. Bradford and Michael Brown. But there are plenty of others whose police killings never went "viral," including people like Michael Dean, a 28-year-old father who police shot in the head on Dec. 3, 2019, and Jamee Johnson, a 22-year-old HBCU student who police shot to death after a questionable traffic stop on Dec. 14, 2019. One of the most distressing parts of this seemingly nonstop string of police killings of Black people is the fact that more times than not, the officer involved in the shooting can hide behind the claim that they feared for their lives -- even if the victim was shot in the back, as has become the case for so many deadly episodes involving law enforcement. In a handful of those cases -- such as Antwon Rose, a 13-year-old boy killed in Pittsburgh, and Stephon Clark, a 22-year-old killed in Sacramento, both of whom were unarmed -- the officers either avoided being criminally charged altogether or were acquitted despite damning evidence that the cops' lives were not threatened and there was no cause for them to resort to lethal force or any violence for that matter. Crump, who has been retained in so many of these cases, described the above scenarios in his book, "Open Season," as the "genocide" of Black people. As NewsOne continues covering these shootings that so often go ignored by mainstream media, the below running list (in no certain order) of Black men and boys who have been shot and killed by police under suspicious circumstances can serve as a tragic reminder of the dangers Black and brown citizens face upon being born into a world of hate that has branded them as suspects since birth. Scroll down to learn more about the Black men and boys who have lost their lives to police violence.

Amadou Diallo Foundation Hosts Benefit Gala On Anniversary Of His Death  was originally published on newsone.com

A.J. Ross , Alhambra Ballroom , Aloe Blacc , Amadou Diallo , Amadou Diallo Foundation , Charles Rangel , David Dinkins , Eric Garner , harlem , NYPD , Police brutality , Rev. Al Sharpton , Sean Bell , Steve Perry

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