Black Liberation Movement-Kiara Yakita, Jessica Smiley, Brynette Turner

Carolyn Harding and today I’m talking with Kiara Yakita, Jessica Smiley and Brynette Turner, activists and founders of the Black Liberation Movement Central Ohio. Kiara Yakita is the Founder of grassroots non-profit corporation Black Liberation Movement and CEO of The UnBossed Network, a local Black media network. She developed herself as an activist, starting with protests for the LGBTQ+ community and Black Lives Matter for Trayvon Martin. She fights for Black Liberation through frontline activism, protesting, community outreach, anti-racism education, speeches and community events. Kiara spreads a message of equality, unity, justice, and the eradication of racism and hate. Jessica Smiley, grassroots organizer and activist for over 10 years, is a Black lesbian and mother to a 13 year old daughter. Her passion lies with both the BLM movement and LGBTQIA+ rights and protections. She was a distributed/national organizer of the Women’s March, helping women nationwide become community organizers for equality and to defeat Trump in 2020. She organized rallies at Goodale Park and the Ohio Statehouse, submitted written testimonies for and attended virtual city council meetings to voice her support for legislation to end no-knock warrants, to form citizens review boards, to demilitarize CPD and to address CPD presence in our schools. Jess was a field volunteer for Obama’s two presidential campaigns, and for Bernie, 2020.  Brynette Turner, Ohio native/Columbus resident is an author and retired federal employee who has also been a community advocate, political activist, and organizer of a variety of community events. Whether working on political campaigns, registering and educating voters, lobbying politicians, or actively protesting against social injustices and human rights violations, Brynette has been driven by a deep love for people, democracy, and the ideal of equal opportunity. She fully believes this country has the ability to live up to its promises to all people and its responsibility to be good stewards of th