Activist Shaun King Talks of This Moment in History

Central Washington University hosted social media influencer and activist Shaun King who gave a speech Monday in the SURC ballroom.

King is best known for his work highlighting social injustice for African Americans and pointing out systemic racism in the United States.

Approximately 700 people attended King’s speech at CWU which touched on a variety of topics including police brutality, the history of humanity and King’s own rise to prominence using social media.

“When I wake up in the morning I don’t see myself. I don’t see a celebrity that’s foolish,” King said. “I don’t see myself as a figure on social media. I literally think of myself as a husband, as a father, and so on. So what I do, I do through that lens.”

In 2014 King worked at a company in Southern California called Global Green. A Facebook friend of his shared a video of the murder of Eric Garner while he was at work.

King waited to watch the video of police taking Garner’s life at lunch and seeing a man take his final breath during his lunch break changed the trajectory of his life forever.

Read this article in its entirety online at the Daily Record.

View photos from Shaun King's visit on Central Washington University's Flickr.