Brigette Brantley and her 8-year-old son Jesiah are getting ready for the March on Washington.  

"He has been my little helper as far as like getting the shirts organized, putting them in plastic bags so we have an easier way to distribute them," Brantley said. 

What You Need To Know

  • Brigette Brantley is taking 34 people from Hunts Point and other parts of the city to the March

  • She is paying for all of the expenses with the money she raised though her GoFundMe campaign

  • Brantley is a Bronx school teacher turned activist after a viral interview on NY1

  • Brantley has raised over $55,000 for community empowerment events

Brantley is a Bronx school teacher who became a social activist following her viral interview on NY1 in June about some of the social unrest in the country.

"The government gave $1,200 to people to survive on in March," she said during that interview. "What you thought was going happen? You took summer youth away from the youth. What you thought was going happen?" 

When we met her in June, she said she was marching for her son. This time, he will witness the protest in person.  

"I want him to walk alongside me and see that, 'Wow, my mom is really out here fighting for my right to live,'" Brantley said.

She has also chartered two buses to take dozens of people from her Hunts Point neighborhood and other parts of the city to DC for the civil rights rally. Many of those young people told her during a Zoom call Tuesday they were getting their signs ready. 

"I have crayons. I can get posters. Somebody get markers," one person said. 

"At the end of the day, the youth are watching and witnessing what is happening with our country, and they are going to the voice," Brantley said. 

The 30-year-old is covering all the expenses with the money she raised through a Go Fund Me campaign after she went viral. She said the money would be used to better her community.  

"I raised about $55,000. About $30,000 has already went to the two community events as far as like food, different supplies, different PPE that we needed for the event, so half of that went back into the community, especially with the jump event, the March on Washington and then the back to school drive that I'm helping with on Saturday," Brantley said.

She also said her goal is make sure her community's voice is being heard.

"We are not asking for much. We are asking for equal rights. We are asking for you guys to count our vote. We are asking for you to stop gunning down our people," Brantley said.

She will be joined by thousands in DC in that call for change.