Read Now: Santa Cruz Black Honors Activist Thairie Ritchie

by: Cheryl Williams, Chris Davis, Christine Hong, Camilla Hawthorne, Wes Weatherspoon

February 11, 2025

In lighting his own flesh on fire in a seemingly placid and sunny seaside college town where unredressed racial violence lurks beneath the surface, Thairie Ritchie bore witness to a world that is on fire and hurtling toward the abyss, write activists at Santa Cruz Black. He self-immolated while standing on the Black Lives Matter street mural, which cars heedlessly drive over every day in front of city hall in downtown Santa Cruz. The group offers a tribute to him and his message.

Read Here: https://lookout.co/santa-cruz-black-honors-activist-thairie-ritchie/

Thairie Ritche taking a knee on the Black Lives Matter Mural in front of Santa Cruz City Hall during the March Toward Love and Courage in June 2023. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

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