On Monday, February 8, Black Lives Matter activist Marshawn McCarrel committed suicide on the steps of the Ohio statehouse. At age 23, McCarrel was already a well­-known activist in Ohio and around the nation. He helped to arrange multiple protests following the murder of Michael Brown, in addition to raising Black Lives Matter awareness in his own community. He used his own struggles and frustrations from the past to move forward, displaying his strength and motivation to change the world we live in. Rather than fueling his fight with anger, he chose peace and straightforward methods of acknowledging injustice in the nation. McCarrel founded his own organization called “Pursuing Our Dreams”, focusing on childhood hunger and homelessness. He truly cared about his community, earning him a “Hometown Champion” award from the Radio One station. He was a true inspiration for change in the modern world, and his efforts to transform thousands of mindsets will not fade in importance.

McCarrel’s body was found at approximately 5:58 p.m. on Monday on the steps of the Ohio statehouse. A few hours before he had posted on his Facebook page saying, “My demons won today. I’m sorry.” Although the news is extremely upsetting, there have been theories pointing to police brutality. Because there were no witnesses or photographs during or after the suicide, there have been questions as to how the public can be sure McCarrel killed himself. There were no publically revealed reasons for McCarrel’s suicide, leaving doubt that the police are telling the complete truth about not only the suicide, but the Facebook post as well. I asked freshman Molly Schwall why she thought Marshawn may have killed himself, if he did at all. She responded, “…maybe he thought that by sacrificing himself, it would show the world that Black Lives really do matter. I think that since he was a very strong advocate.”

As an activist, McCarrel dealt with frequent disturbing threats and criticisms, but he never stopped speaking out for what he believed was right. He knew that racism is rooted deep into the minds of each individual, and he spent his entire short and meaningful life fighting to change this.