DeRay Mckesson is the Executive Director of Campaign Zero, a social justice organization leading nationwide structural change to create equity and justice in our criminal legal system. Beginning as a Youth Organizer in Baltimore as a teenager, he has been an advocate and activist on a range of issues impacting people of color for much of his life.
As a key leader in the Ferguson Uprising in 2014 and a leading voice in the Black Lives Matter Movement, DeRay remains committed to providing activists, community members, and policymakers with commonsense policies and tools that ensure and scale equity. He has been praised by President Obama for his work as a community organizer, advised officials at all levels of government and internationally, and continues to support and collaborate with activists, organizers, and leaders to make an impact.
DeRay frequently appears on national and cable television programs, including The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, NPR, MSNBC, CNN, among others. He has also been featured on the cover of The Advocate, Adweek, and Attitude Magazine and has been highlighted in a range of publications including Vogue, Vanity Fair, Interview Magazine, VICE, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Baltimore Sun.
Born and raised in Baltimore, he graduated with a B.A. with honors from Bowdoin College and holds honorary doctorates from The New School, the Maryland Institute College of Art and Bowdoin College. He serves in board and advisory capacities for a number of policy, advocacy and media organizations including Teach for America, Council on Criminal Justice, Alliance For Justice, Rock the Vote, The Podcast Academy, Robinhood, Index of Impunity, Ameelio, Rock the Vote, Firework Foundation, Freedom Forum Council of Advisors, and Lemonada Media.