Angela Rye speaks about the impact of using platforms to raise awareness to social injustice

With all of the negativity and violence occurring in the world, it was a breath of fresh air to attend The 2nd Annual Attorney Benjamin Crump Equal Justice Now Awards. Now let me give you the tea on the people who made this event possible. Equal Justice Now is a nonprofit social welfare organization that advocates against false arrest, unreasonable detention, wrongful conviction, and incarceration of citizens. The awards ceremony honored the impact of trailblazers from directors in film and government to community and social philanthropy.

Benjamin Crump is the founder of the firm Ben Crump Law of Tallahassee, Florida which specializes in civil rights and catastrophic personal injury cases such as wrongful death lawsuits. His practice has had its hand in civil rights cases such as Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and George Floyd, as well as the people affected by the Flint water crisis and the plaintiffs behind the 2019 Johnson & Johnson baby powder lawsuit. Talk about being the change you want to see, this event was full of people who care about that action for our people!

This list of notable honorees includes Mario (actor/director) and Melvin Van Peebles (actor/filmmaker), Bradon “Stix” Salaam-Bailey (rapper, producer, songwriter, entrepreneur, and founder of Think Watts Foundation), Roland Martin (journalist/media commentator), Angela Rye (CEO of IMPACT Strategies/ ESPN correspondent) and more! The ceremony was hosted by Emmy award-winning TV personality and activist Loni Love with activist Mi$fit to the show with an original track written specifically for the EJN entitled “Better Days.”

Before the show began, I got to spill some tea with Angela Rye, Roland Martin, and Benjamin Crump himself on the red carpet. Check out the link below for the full cup of tea: