MISSION STATEMENT

AAGJC is committed to ending systemic racism in Johnson County & beyond. Our key areas of focus are the systems related to local government, law enforcement, and access to opportunity.

Our Story

AAGJC was formed in 2020 in direct response to the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police Officers. Our founder, Linnaia McKenzie, drew together a grassroots group of volunteers who wanted to raise awareness and increase advocacy for underrepresented groups in Johnson County, KS. We are now proudly a 501(c)3 and entering entering our 5th year as an organization!

Our Accomplishments

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! We’ve held 4 so far and already have plans for Year 5 in June 2024. 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.

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.

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.”

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.