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.
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

109 Black Men And Boys Killed By Police
109 Black Men And Boys Killed By Police
1. Andrew Brown, 40
1 of 1092. Matthew Williams, 35
2 of 1093. Daunte Wright, 20

4. Marvin D. Scott III, 26

5. Kurt Reinhold, 42

6. McHale Rose, 19
6 of 1097. Xzavier Hill, 18
Source:Change.org 7 of 1098. Frederick Cox, 18

9. Patrick Warren Sr.

10. Carl Dorsey III, 39
10 of 10911. Dolal Idd, 23

12. Andre' Hill, 47
12 of 10913. Joshua Feast
13 of 10914. Maurice Gordon

15. Casey Goodson Jr.

16. Rodney Applewhite

17. A.J. Crooms
17 of 10918. Sincere Pierce
18 of 10919. Walter Wallace Jr.
19 of 10920. Marcellis Stinnette, teen killed by police in Waukegan, Illinois

21. Jonathan Price
21 of 10922. Deon Kay
22 of 10923. Daniel Prude
23 of 10924. Damian Daniels
24 of 10925. Dijon Kizzee
25 of 10926. Trayford Pellerin

27. David McAtee
27 of 10928. Natosha “Tony” McDade
28 of 10929. George Floyd
29 of 10930. Yassin Mohamed
30 of 10931. Finan H. Berhe
31 of 10932. Sean Reed

33. Steven Demarco Taylor

34. Ariane McCree

35. Terrance Franklin
35 of 10936. Miles Hall

37. Darius Tarver

38. William Green
38 of 10939. Samuel David Mallard, 19
39 of 10940. Kwame "KK" Jones, 17

41. De’von Bailey, 19
41 of 10942. Christopher Whitfield, 31
42 of 10943. Anthony Hill, 26
43 of 10944. De'Von Bailey, 19
44 of 10945. Eric Logan, 54
45 of 10946. Jamarion Robinson, 26
46 of 10947. Gregory Hill Jr., 30
47 of 10948. JaQuavion Slaton, 20
48 of 10949. Ryan Twyman, 24
49 of 10950. Brandon Webber, 20
50 of 10951. Jimmy Atchison, 21
51 of 10952. Willie McCoy, 20
52 of 10953. Emantic "EJ" Fitzgerald Bradford Jr., 21
53 of 10954. D’ettrick Griffin, 18
54 of 10955. Jemel Roberson, 26
Source:false 55 of 10956. DeAndre Ballard, 23
Source:false 56 of 10957. Botham Shem Jean, 26
Source:false 57 of 10958. Antwon Rose Jr., 17
Source:false 58 of 10959. Robert Lawrence White, 41
Source:false 59 of 10960. Anthony Lamar Smith, 24

61. Ramarley Graham, 18

62. Manuel Loggins Jr., 31

63. Trayvon Martin, 17

64. Wendell Allen, 20

65. Kendrec McDade, 19

66. Larry Jackson Jr., 32

67. Jonathan Ferrell, 24

68. Jordan Baker, 26

69. Victor White lll, 22

70. Dontre Hamilton, 31

71. Eric Garner, 43

72. John Crawford lll, 22

73. Michael Brown, 18

74. Ezell Ford, 25

75. Dante Parker, 36

76. Kajieme Powell, 25

77. Laquan McDonald, 17

78. Akai Gurley, 28

79. Tamir Rice, 12

80. Rumain Brisbon, 34

81. Jerame Reid, 36

82. Charly Keunang, 43

83. Tony Robinson, 19

84. Walter Scott, 50

85. Freddie Gray, 25

86. Brendon Glenn, 29

87. Samuel DuBose, 43

88. Christian Taylor, 19

89. Jamar Clark, 24

90. Mario Woods, 26

91. Quintonio LeGrier, 19

92. Gregory Gunn, 58

93. Akiel Denkins, 24

94. Alton Sterling, 37

95. Philando Castile, 32

96. Terrence Sterling, 31

97. Terence Crutcher, 40

98. Keith Lamont Scott, 43

99. Alfred Olango, 38

100. Jordan Edwards, 15

101. Stephon Clark, 22
Source:false 101 of 109102. Danny Ray Thomas, 34
Source:false 102 of 109103. DeJuan Guillory, 27
Source:false 103 of 109104. Patrick Harmon, 50
104 of 109105. Jonathan Hart, 21
105 of 109106. Maurice Granton, 24
106 of 109107. Julius Johnson, 23
107 of 109108. Jamee Johnson, 22

109. Michael Dean, 28

109 Black Men And Boys Killed By Police
UPDATED: 3:08 p.m. ET, April 21, 2021 -- The centuries-old American tradition of police shooting and killing Black males suffered an untraditional jolt on Tuesday 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. https://twitter.com/TIME/status/1384614198282530816?s=20 But the anomaly of a guilty verdict was far from enough to offset the apparent violent rite of police passage that is still thriving in 2021 and only seems to be gaining momentum instead of slowing. It should give any American citizen pause as a steady number of Black people -- especially males both young and old -- continue to be added to a growing list of victims with what seems like a new shooting every week. MORE: #SayHerName: Black Women And Girls Killed By Police In the wake of repeated brutality and police violence waged on Black communities, a 40-year-old Black man from North Carolina was shot and killed by police on Wednesday morning. https://twitter.com/WAVY_News/status/1384904119551397895?s=20 According to WAVY, the victim was identified as Andrew Brown, a resident of Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Details are still being revealed about the shooting, but according to local law enforcement, the incident took place around 8:30 a.m. as Pasquotank County Sheriff's deputies attempted to serve a search warrant. Brown, who was unarmed and a father of 10, reportedly exited the residence and drove away in his car when police fired a total of six to eight shots. Brown's family says that he did not hurt anyone prior to him being shot. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation has been called in to take over the investigation and local authorities will hold a press conference at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the shooting. A crowd of demonstrators began gathering near the area in protest. Brown's killing comes one day after the guilty verdict in the murder of George Floyd, and the shooting of Ma'Khia Wright, a 16-year-old Columbus, Ohio girl. Brown's name joins a long list of other Black men and boys killed by the police, including but certainly not limited to: Tamir Rice; Botham Shem Jean; E.J. Bradford; and Michael Brown. But two of the most recent names that can tragically be included in this deadly equation are 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. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who has been retained in so many of these cases, described the above scenarios in his new 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