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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