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The Passing of Andrew Joseph Jr. – Our brother. Our comrade. Our teacher. Our coach. Our friend.

Tampa, FL – Andrew Joseph, Jr. died unexpectedly on Saturday afternoon in Tampa. The beloved husband and father of two became known around the world as one of the strongest voices in the Black Lives Matter movement after his son #AndrewJosephIII was killed as a result of Hillsborough County Sheriff’s misconduct in 2014. Andrew – the elder – often said that he turned his “pain into purpose” by working to end police violence, to advance child safety, and to support the families of those who were killed by police and white-supremacist violence.

With his wife of 28 years and partner in all things, Deanna Joseph, he founded the Florida chapter of Black Lives Matter Grassroots and serves as the founding Rapid Response Coordinator and on-the-ground lead for the worldwide organization. The family birthed the Andrew Joseph III Foundation in his son’s honor. Mr. Joseph served as lead facilitator for Chosen Fathers, a community of dads who provide collective healing justice after tragic losses. Prior to entering social justice work, he was an educator in alternative high schools and a little league football coach. Mr. and Mrs. Joseph were high school sweethearts who suffered the unimaginable pain of the death of their fourteen-year-old son, and went on to comfort, support and advocate for scores of families whose loved ones’ lives were stolen through state-sanctioned violence.

Andrew, who was born and raised in New Orleans, moved to Tampa with his young family seeking refuge from Hurricane Katrina. He is survived by his wife, Deanna, and daughter, Deja, who graduated from Howard University with honors just last weekend.

A public funeral for Andrew Joseph Jr. is set for Saturday, May 23rd in New Orleans. A memorial service in Tampa is also being planned for a later date.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 24, 2026

Charleston, SC – Black Lives Matter Grassroots stands in full solidarity with the Charleston Reparations Taskforce and the Gullah Geechee community in demanding the immediate transfer of over 7,000 acres of plantation land, including Middleton Place, Boone Hall, and Magnolia Plantation, to permanent Gullah Geechee stewardship. We amplify the April 22, 2026, call and the 40-day ultimatum delivered to the plantation “owners”.

These lands, built with stolen labor and soaked in the blood of enslaved West African ancestors, now generate millions annually, while descendants face displacement. BLM Charleston chapter lead/task force member Marcus McDonald highlights the urgency: “We are facing an existential threat. At the current rate of land loss and displacement, it is clear that Gullah Geechee people are being ethnically cleansed from the lands which we built.” He adds, “I am a direct descendant of enslaved people who labored at Boone Hall Plantation, and it’s time to move past symbolic gestures. The transfer of this land to Gullah Geechee stewardship is a true step towards repair for the generations of violence and erasure of our contributions.”

The proposed Gullah Geechee Reparations Reservation is not symbolic. Acknowledgment without material repair is hollow. True justice requires land, resources, and decision-making power to be transferred. The Reparations Reservation is a community-controlled pathway to permanent affordable housing, cultural preservation, sustainable agriculture, and real economic development in place of extraction.

This demand reflects BLM Grassroots’ core principle: repair must include land restitution and community control. We call on Middleton Place, Magnolia Plantation, and Boone Hall to respond within 40 days and enter formal dialogue toward land transfer and full reparative justice.

Call to action:

Follow BLM Charleston and amplify the Charleston Reparations Taskforce.
Share the call: “Middleton + Boone Hall + Magnolia Plantation between now & 40 days, we DEMAND answers.”
Pressure officials to support a Gullah Geechee Reparations Reservation.
Donate to Black liberation organizations, including BLM Grassroots.

The fight for reparations is our fight. BLM Grassroots will organize, agitate, and demand until the land is returned and the harm is repaired.

Contact:
BLM Grassroots Communications Team
[email protected]

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Black Lives Matter Grassroots Condemns the Unjust Conviction and Sentence for Karmelo Anthony “The system is guilty. Karmelo is not.”

Karmelo, who was just 17 years-old at the time of the incident, was never the aggressor. A child of impeccable character, a multi-sport athlete, an A student, and the captain of his football team, Karmelo should have been protected when he was being bullied. Instead, he was forced to defend himself, then criminalized, arrested, prosecuted, convicted, immediately remanded into the custody of the Collin County Sheriff, and sentenced to 35 years in prison. The state plans to cage him, stomp out his infinite potential, and deprive the world of his light until he is 54 years-old.