They went viral in videos of #LivingWhileBlack. Now, they're running for office and becoming activists
Kenzie Smith spends his days walking the streets of Oakland, Calif., pitching voters on his plan to reduce homelessness, keep rents down, improve schools and help more people find jobs.
But the City Council candidate most frequently gets questions about something else: the time two months ago when a white woman called the cops on him, a black man, for having a barbecue in a city park.
The scene, captured in a video viewed by millions, triggered protests and ongoing conversations in the city on race, access to public space and when it's appropriate to call police. It spawned a hashtag that black families around the country still use as they post photos of themselves outdoors: #BarbecuingWhileBlack.
It seems a new video emerges every week in the burgeoning genre
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