Inspiring People - Shaun King
By Hasna Maliq - 3 October 2022
A few people from around Worth Unlimited have agreed to tell us about someone who inspires them. This time it's Hasna Maliq!
Shaun King
Christian, Husband & Father, Writer & Civil Rights Activist.
Shaun King is one of the most followed activists on social media. He uses his platform to support social justice causes. He has written nearly 1,500 articles on racial injustice and police brutality.
Shaun King is a key person in the Black Lives Matter movement and the co-founder of Real Justice PAC. He has also launched a site ‘The North Star’, named after the 19th century anti-slavery newspaper by Frederick Douglass, which is an independent grassroots platform for liberation-journalism focused on politics, power, race and equality.
He has successfully launched many Internet fundraising campaigns like ‘aHomeinHaiti.org’, ‘TwitChange.com’ and ‘HopeMob.org’ to generate funds for various causes. He is an author with two published books and a speaker who has spoken on college campuses, in jails and prisons and in corporate boardrooms.
Awards:
- In 2017, ‘Citizen’s Committee for Children in New York’ honoured him with the Samuel Peabody Award for Journalism.
- In 2018, he was given the Humanitarian Hero Award by the ‘Black Entertainment Television’, the most significant television network focused on African American audiences.
- In the same year, the American weekly news magazine ‘Time’ included him in the list of ‘The 25 Most Influential People on the InternetIn 2019, the ‘Black Entertainment Television’ once again recognised King by awarding him the Social Movement Award.
Shaun was left with life changing injuries after being racially attacked when he was 15 years old. He spent two years recovering.
Today, he has a masters degree, he has a loving family, he fights not only against police brutality, injustice towards black people in judicial system and mass incarceration, he stands with those facing illegal occupation and apartheid, he stands with those experiencing political struggles globally.
He stands with people of colour, he stands with people with disabilities, he stands with women against patriarchy. He raises awareness about issues which affect him and those which don't.
I think that being able to genuinely care about issues which don't directly affect you is a skill which we all should learn to have. It is that understanding and empathy we carry for other people's struggles which is a driving force of positive impact and social change. I believe inspiring people like Shaun King are the epitome of togetherness and inspiring hope. Standing up for those who are marginalised across the world in whichever capacity he can. Although some of Shaun's achievements may feel far out of our reach, if we all took it upon ourselves one time this week to care for someone else's worry or support someone else's injustice, we might end up feeling inspired to always act in good conscience, or maybe to even push for more. Pushing for a world with equality, acceptance and love for all.
