Marissa Johnson, left, speaks as Mara Jacqueline Willaford holds her fist overhead. Source: https://jamieutt.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/dem2016sanders_cata.jpg?w=682

A few days ago, in Seattle WA, Marissa Janae Johnson and Mara Jacqueline Willard engaged in direct action activism during a Bernie Sanders rally by taking over the stage. There has been lot of focus and attention given to these women; a lot of it negative and not very compassionate responses that I will now write about. Maybe if you haven’t already you can read their reasons for their actions from their own mouths.

First of all, many feel that Marissa Janae Johnson and Mara Jacqueline Willard’s approach to activism is representative of the entire Black Lives Matter movement… and that this representation is ‘bad’. I disagree. I keep on hearing a significant number of people say that because of what these women did, they have lost respect for BLM. It is quite disappointing that one would lose respect for…