Kwame Rose (born 20th century, as Darius Kwame Rosebrough) is an American

social activist Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make Social change, changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from ...

, artist, writer, musician, and public speaker. Rose gained notoriety during the

2015 Baltimore protests On April 12, 2015, Baltimore Police Department officers arrested Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old African American resident of Baltimore, Maryland. Gray's neck and spine were injured while he was in a police vehicle and he went into a coma. On Ap ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

for his confrontation with

Fox News The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...

reporter

Geraldo Rivera Geraldo Rivera (born Gerald Rivera; July 4, 1943) is an American journalist, attorney, author, and political commentator who worked at the Fox News Channel from 2001 to 2023. He hosted the tabloid talk show '' Geraldo'' from 1987 to 1998. He g ...

, challenging the media's representation of protestors after Freddie Gray's death. Since then, he has become one of the more visible protesters in Baltimore.

Early life

Rose was born and raised in Baltimore. His passion for public speaking earned him a full scholarship to the

University of Texas at San Antonio The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA or UT San Antonio) is a Public university, public research university in San Antonio, Texas, United States. Established in 1969,hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

–infused education as a means to educate the youth and give a voice to the voiceless. After the completion of his freshman year, deteriorating social conditions in Baltimore prompted his permanent return with a firm commitment to improve and serve his community.

Activist career

In 2013, Rose helped form the organization Brothers In Action, Inc., a mentoring group for young Black males in Baltimore City. He served on its executive board until recently. He stepped down to launch BE Foundation in an effort to not only highlight Black youth but also, help them excel in pursuing their dreams and aspirations. In 2020, Rose joined the labor movement by working with the

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

(AFSCME) Council 67, under the leadership of Glen Middleton.

Freddie Gray protests

On April 29, 2015, Rose confronted Fox News reporter Geraldo Rivera during the protests for Freddie Gray, asking him to leave Baltimore due to what Rose called one-sided coverage of the protests and the city while ignoring Baltimore's poverty and social issues, how these issues affect citizens' lives, or the community's efforts to unite and clean up the city. On September 2, Rose was arrested during protests at the courthouse. The arrest was videotaped. Some

Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a Decentralization, decentralized political and social movement that aims to highlight racism, discrimination and Racial inequality in the United States, racial inequality experienced by black people, and to pro ...

protesters insisted he was targeted for arrest. Rose was a featured interviewee in the 2017 documentary film '' Baltimore Rising'' on the protests.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rose, Kwame Year of birth missing (living people) 1990s births Living people 21st-century African-American people 21st-century people from Maryland Activists from Baltimore African-American founders African-American trade unionists American organization founders University of Texas at San Antonio alumni