Today we’d like to introduce you to Marie Mott.
Marie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Activism runs in my family. My grandfather Thomas Leon Mott Sr. organized black residents in the late 60’s and early 70’s around black homeownership. I got into activism after a Chattanooga Police Department video leaked showing an Officer pulling a 14-year-old African American girl out of her mother’s car by her wrist. I was outraged and decided to speak out about how I felt about a growing pattern of police abuse particularly in the black community. I started attending City Council Meetings to hold people accountable and started discovering the city budget and how decisions are being made about our communities. Slowly I started building a platform and reputation giving people information about what is going on at City Hall. I’ve also had the pleasure of collaborating with seasoned reputable organizations such as The Unity Group and Concerned Citizens for Justice. Working with more experienced and seasoned activists has shown me how to approach various social issues and be steadfast in this work. Change doesn’t happen overnight and you need people around you that can keep you encouraged and focused.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
One thing I’ve learned about being an activist is that it requires principled struggle. Naturally, the status quo is resistant to change. I co-founded an organization ICantBreatheCHA with my friend C-Grimey in the midst of protesting for over 30 days in Chattanooga. Because of our massive organizing and demands for radical change, we have been surveilled by drones by our local law enforcement. Last night at our joint protest with The Atlanta Uprising team we had a portable camera placed outside of our location. Being an activist requires you to be resilient and constantly aware of your safety.
Please tell us about ICantBreatheCHA.
ICantBreatheCHA seeks to educate and advocate for policy change. By focusing on opportunities to bring equity to Black and Brown communities, our goal is to dismantle systemic issues at their roots and strengthen our community as a whole. We are known for organizing protests and organizing citizens around civic engagement and policy demands.
I’m extremely proud that we’ve been able to get two policies changed within the Chattanooga Police Department: “The Duty to Intervene” and ‘Warning Before Shooting.”
What sets us apart from other organizations is we have Elders who guide us and act as wise council for us. We are heavily involved in the community through education and service. We have built an interactive and responsive social media following that has allowed us to have individuals engage with us for the long haul.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
When my grandmother tried to talk to all her grandchildren about sex. She brought my siblings, cousins, and I into the kitchen and sat us down. She went into this broken dishwasher that she kept important papers in and pulled out an old condom and proceeded to show us how to pull it over a banana. Needless to say, I was traumatized at the time but now all I can do is laugh whenever it comes up. I miss you grandma.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://icantbreathecha.org
- Email: icantbreathecha@gmail.com
- Instagram: icantbreathecha
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/icantbreathecha
Image Credit:
Matt Reiter
Kendra Simons
John Adams
Reginald Clack
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