Community Highlight - Aly Aly

For as long as I can remember my existence has been an act of resistance. From attending a primarily white school district to being born to two teenage parents and into a bloodline where half of my family came to this country unwillingly in shackles while the other half owned mansions and land. I’ve always been told I cared too much. About what people were thinking, how they were feeling. Growing up being bullied I never wanted anyone to feel less than and it’s something that's always fueled my work. I feel like I’ve always been an activist in my own right. Radicalized by the world around me and the injustices I was witnessing, but it wasn’t until 2020 when I was just 19 years old that I decided to take action following the murder of George Floyd. From there I took to social media to plan a protest that was originally scheduled for June 13th 2020 that eventually got moved to June 3rd in response to the May 30th riot in downtown Grand Rapids. 

When it came to the first protest I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into. But after seeing over three thousand people come out to stand together against the actions of not just the Grand Rapids Police Department but the Policing system as a whole, is when I realized I couldn’t possibly stop there. And with that I put together my organization, Justice for Black Lives. From then on I spent a lot of my time in the streets protesting, rallying, yelling through megaphones and traveling to various communities to connect with other like minded individuals to support their efforts, while also connecting these movements on a broader scale. I traveled to places like Washington DC for the 2020 March on Washington, Louisville Kentucky to demand justice for Breonna Taylor, traveled to Minneapolis to connect with local grassroots activists, and visited many other places in the name of justice and systemic change.

After being involved in the local activism scene for a little over a month I found myself inspired by the creation of the Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington DC and outraged by the lack of attention surrounding the murder of Breonna Taylor , and with that I and my organization petitioned for a honorary street name change to change Monroe Center in Downtown Grand Rapids to Breonna Taylor Way. I felt that it only made sense to honor Breonna in her hometown, especially on the very street that became a central part to the local movement. After close to six months of petitioning, and bringing it before the Grand Rapids board of Commissioners to have it be voted on, Breonna Taylor way became official on December 3rd 2020. When Breonna Taylor Way became official I was proud to have something that started off as a simple idea to honor Breonna Taylor, become a reality. But with time that street continued to be the center point of the movement, the very pavement bearing witness to the brutality perpetrated by the Grand Rapids Police Department against local activists and community members to this day.

As the protests continued, I was out in the streets almost every week rain or shine, with crowds as big as one hundred and as small as five. The size never mattered, what mattered was being heard and being disruptive, to bring attention to the local happenings in our own backyards. Between 2020 and late 2021 a lot of my life consisted of sleeping in cramped hotel rooms, running off just a few hours of sleep and getting up to lead protests, organize events, attend meetings, rallies, putting all of my energy into my organization and activism work. 

Towards the end of my time with my organization, my work began to shift, with content creation being a passion of mine, I channeled that passion and used it to fuel my work, to share local stories and information to a border audience, often encouraging my supporters to take action. With the help of my platform I have been able to raise money for mutual aid efforts, help get charges dropped for a Black man that was wrongfully arrested by the GRPD, encourage people to sign petitions and participate in phone and email zaps. Since my felony arrest in May of 2022 following a protest to demand justice for Patrick Lyoya, I began to do my work primarily via social media. With my bond conditions that eventually turned into probation terms that restricted me from talking to most of my comrades, social media became an important aspect when it came to me being able to have a voice after years of repression from the city of Grand Rapids and the Police Department. Since then I’ve continued to use my social media platform as a voice for my activism through videos, pictures, articles and graphic design.

Looking back on the past five years at now 24 years old, I learned that activism is much more than just protests and petitions, it’s about resilience in the face of injustice, growth in a world that doesn’t always want to change, and the ability to unify people in a country that thrives off of us being divided. I realized leadership doesn’t always come with applause and that community can both heal and hurt sometimes, even the loudest voices can feel silenced. Throughout these years I’ve made mistakes, lost people for being so outspoken, had to mourn and leave behind different versions of myself. But despite all of that I’ve witnessed the power of solidarity and the strength and power that comes with standing in my truth even when it’s hard. Through every loss and setback I’ve grown not just as an activist but as a woman and as I continue my work I carry the lessons of the past with me, to stay loud and intentional as I continue to fight not just to be heard, but for change, for justice, and for the generations that will come after me.