Reproductive justice activist Michelle Hope spent 18 years in the classroom teaching about equity. But when she saw the video of the police killing of George Floyd she was compelled to go “beyond the classroom” and take to the NYC streets. Hope spent nine days protesting and sherecorded her journey via IG stories and cell phone video. 

Here, in the first installment of BET Digital’s new series, The Protest Diaries, Hope shares her journey -- from the exhilaration she feels marching down the West Side Highway, to the fear unfolding during a tense confrontation in midtown when police officers detain citizens and make arrests. 

The journey culminates with Hope speaking at the Black Lives Matter rally in Times Square on June 7. There she gives an impassioned speech, connecting the work she does as a reproductive justice activist with this growing movement and turning the focus onto Black women. 

"Black women are experiencing maternal mortality at three times the rate of their white counterparts in America. They are killing us before we get to raise our children," Hope says. "Black women cannot take a knee for Black men if you continue to kill us."

The Protest Diaries, exploring the people and stories from social justice movements around the country, is a new series produced by BET Digital. Click here to see all the episodes.