Atlanta, Georgia Nov 3, 2021 – With songs titled “Atatiana,” “Take Your Knees Off Our Necks,” and “Police Brutality” world-renowned musical artist Darrell Kelley is transforming the face of activism with hypnotic hip-hop tracks infused with gospel and R&B-style vocals. With each chart-climbing song, Kelly injects messages into the consciousness of fans nationally and globally – it is time to put an end to police brutality! “I could have done love songs, or I could have done anything else,” said Kelley. “But I am on a mission to stop police brutality through my voice and my music.” Naming his songs for victims is just one aspect of his activism. His secondary weapon is a jet-black hearse wrapped with the names of dozens of police brutality victims along with a coffin displaying dozens more victims’ names in white lettering fitted with a 40-inch flat-screen TV and loudspeakers. This shocking, poignant, and conversation-generating monument grabs attention anywhere he goes. Based in Atlanta, on Saturday, Oct. 23, Kelley and his entourage brandished the display on the campus of Morris Brown College in honor of their annual homecoming celebration and to raise awareness of police brutality victims and their families. “What better way to honor the legacies of these victims,” explained Kelley. “All those names on the coffin, those names of black and brown people killed by racist police in America, could have been at this Morris Brown homecoming with us celebrating today or anywhere else in life. But at the end of the day, they are killing our young people and they are killing our generations.”
He added that raising awareness, taking action, and educating young people about how to deal with issues of police violence are the only ways to stop police brutality. Kelley says his activism comes from God and he takes a hands-on approach, unlike most entertainers. He has personally flown to Oklahoma where he met and befriended Vicky Scott, mother of Derrick Scott who was killed by Oklahoma police in June 2020. On October 9, he traveled to Fort Worth, Texas to perform at a parade honoring Atatiana Jefferson who was murdered by police in her living room while playing video games with her son. And he personally visited the family of Derrick Scott in Oklahoma who was killed by Oklahoma police. He has made dozens of such trips across the country and plans to take many more in support of the families of police brutality victims.
“When God puts something on your heart and on your mind and he lets you see things, you can go forward without being afraid,” explained Kelley.
He personally traveled to the funeral of Rashod Brooks. He personally attended a parade in honor of Atatiana Jefferson in Fort Worth, Texas on Oct. 9.
The 2021 Morris Brown College Homecoming Celebration was especially fervent because, in April, MBC received its accreditation back from the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools after 20 years. The historic college is the only HBCU in the Atlanta University Center to be founded by black people, for black people and has educated some of America’s most prominent citizens. “This earmarks a special milestone for Morris Brown College and I’m proud that I could be a part of this special day,” said Kelley. “I look forward to supporting Morris Brown College as they rebuild their precious legacy.”
