Learn More About AAGJC!
Our Story
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AAGJC was formed in 2020 in direct response to the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police Officers. A grassroots group of volunteers who wanted to raise awareness and increase advocacy for underrepresented groups in Johnson County, KS came together to form the group. We are now proudly a 501(c)3!
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Our Accomplishments
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​The members of AAGJC are proud of the work we’ve done thus far. Docuseries like I AM GEORGE FLOYD and panel discussions like SAY HER NAME are a few ways we’ve brought together diverse voices in an effort to hear each other and build bridges in our community. Our 5-POINT PLAN FOR IMPROVING POLICE FEEDBACK IN JOHNSON COUNTY resulted in police departments across Johnson County updating systems to create an on-line and accessible method for people to provide feedback to police, something we found almost nonexistent and inaccessible prior to this effort that we did in conjunction with other like-minded organizations. And we absolutely love our annual JUNETEENTH PEACE MARCH AND RALLY! It’s a great time for the community to come together, hear from each other, celebrate what we’ve accomplished, and commit to future work.
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Our Hopes for the Future
​You saw our mission statement, right? “AAGJC is committed to ending systemic racism in Johnson County & beyond.” Yep. That’s right. “Ending systemic racism.” We recognize that’s a big thing to tackle. But we aren’t daunted by this.
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We are committed to facing systemic racism and working towards change. James Baldwin said, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
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And we share this hope: “I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality… I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word”. – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
So, come join us on this journey!
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Our Founder
Linnaia McKenzie
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Our Board of Directors
Haile Sims, President​
Claudia Dawson, Vice President
Courtney Jackson
Melanie Arroyo
Jameilla Jenell
Julieta Sandy
M Palowski Moore
Aarion Rideaux-Beyer
Jason Leib
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