01of 06 Mama Dragons Wendy VonSosen A group of bonded mothers in Utah started theMama DragonsFacebook group in 2014 to “support, educate and empower mothers of LGBTQ children.” Wendy VonSosen, president of the organization, tells PEOPLE their efforts — including community education, regional groups andprivate subgroups on Facebook— help mothers become “the best possible advocates for their kids.” “Our former president, Julie Packer, was quietly supportive of her gay son Tyson,” says VonSosen....

Sasha Johnson, seen leading a BLM protest in London.Photo: Guy Smallman/Getty After receiving numerous death threats, Sasha Johnson — a prominent British Black Lives Matter activist — was shot in the head early Sunday morning on the street in London, PEOPLE confirms. Johnson, 27, remains in critical condition following the 3 a.m. attack, according to the Facebook page for her political party,Taking the Initiative. London’s Metropolitan Police confirms in a statement a 27-year-old woman was shot in Southwark district of South London....

TheBlack Lives Mattermovement is speaking out about the stark differences in how law enforcement has handled Wednesday’s riots at the U.S. Capitol compared to their response toprotests against racial injusticelast year. Hours after Trump supporters stormed the Capitol and occupied the Senate chamber, the Black Lives Matter Twitter account shared a lengthy thread calling out “hypocrisy in our country’s law enforcement response to protest.” “Make no mistake, if the protesters were Black, we would have been tear gassed, battered, and perhaps shot,“another tweetread....

Patrisse Cullors.Photo: Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images Patrisse Cullors, one of the co-founders of theBlack Lives Mattermovement, has inspired millions of people around the world to take to the streets in protest of systemic racism and police brutality. Now, the activist is sharing her best advice for cultivating positive change and lasting equality in our communities in her new book. Cullors is unveiling the cover of her upcoming book,An Abolitionist’s Handbook: 12 Steps to Change Yourself and the World, exclusively to PEOPLE....

Photo: CBS 46 A spokesman for the Cobb County Police Department confirmed one of their officers pulled Corey Lewis’ car over Sunday afternoon in response to a call. The spokesman did not have information on details of the incident, but Lewis documented the encounter on Facebook Live. He also captured footage of the woman after she confronted him and the two children in a Walmart parking lot, asking the children if they needed help....

Photo: GoFundMe “Minimum wages and overtime compensation must be paid on a current basis as work is done, such that an employee receives the prescribed compensation without delay. When an employer fails to pay those amounts, the employee suffers losses, which includes the loss of the use of that money during the period of delay,” the Court of Appeals wrote in its filing. Edwards was sentenced to 10 years in prison in Nov....

Joshua Halsey’s funeral procession.Photo: Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images About 123 years after the massacre of Black people took place in Wilmington, North Carolina, the city ishonoring thosewho were killed in the tragedy. Crowds of people, including Halsey’s descendants, attended the ceremony as a horse-drawn hearse carried soil collected from Halsey’s home to the funeral service, according to the outlet.Rev. William Barber IIgave the eulogy. “We were in shock because this is so unprecedented,” Elaine Cynthia Brown, a descendent of Halsey, told the outlet....

A photograph of Leonard Allen Cure.Photo:Innocence Project of Florida Innocence Project of Florida A Black man who was imprisoned based on a wrongful conviction for over 16 years and later exonerated was shot to death during an encounter with a sheriff’s deputy in Georgia. According to the bureau, based on preliminary information, the deputy initiated the stop on Interstate 95 Northbound, just south of Mile Marker 9 in Camden County. It said that Cure got out of his car and complied with the deputy’s requests until he was told he was being arrested....

Paige Gaines.Photo: Cat Harper Photography “Sadness” and “anger” are two of the emotions that Paige Gaines says she felt when she woke up the morning after her firstsuicide attempt. The night before she swallowed pills, sadly confident in her belief that it was her “time to go.” She went to bed fully expecting not to wake up. Gaines was just 12. “The numbers have continued to rise since about 2016, 2017,” Gaines tells PEOPLE, noting studies based on recent CDC figures, which were highlighted in a 2021 study published in theJournal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry....

Photo: Linda Davidson / The Washington Post via Getty A black high school graduate in Mississippi claims that instead of becoming the first salutatorian at the newly integrated Cleveland Center High School, a white male was honored with the title despite having a lower grand point average, according to a lawsuit filed last week. According to theWashington Post, the Mississippi Cleveland School District desegregated in 2017 “after a federal judge found it was operating an illegal dual system for black and white children....

Two Black U.S. Capitol police officers said they endured racist remarks from pro-Donald Trumpsupporters during last week’sfailed insurrection attempt. Speaking withBuzzFeed, the Capitol police officers asked to remain anonymous for their safety. Five deaths were linked to the riots,including a USCP officerwho was reportedly wounded during the violent mob at the Capitol. The failed insurrection unfolded last Wednesday after Trump, 74, delivered a disgruntled speech over his2020 election lossand encouraged his supporters to march on the U....

From L to R: Lupita Nyong’o, Letitia Wright, Danai Gurira, Florence Kasumba and Winston Duke at San Diego Comic-Con.Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Marvel Studios packed an emotional punch for its buzzy return to Comic-Con Saturday. Broadimage/Shutterstock Michael Buckner/Variety/Getty For more on 2022 Comic-Con, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day. “One of the biggest moments [I’ve experienced recently] is watching these amazing artists,” said Gurira, about watching the opening musical performance....

Danai Gurira at the Global Citizen Festival, Sept. 2023.Photo:Rob Kim/Getty Rob Kim/Getty Black PantherstarDanai Gurirais teaming up with PETA for a new campaign reminding people never to leave their dogs in hot cars. Danai Gurira and her dog, Papi, appear in a PETA ad.Matt Sayles/ PETA Matt Sayles/ PETA “He’s family. If he were in trouble, I would do anything to save him. My friends at PETA and I are urging everyone to be a warrior for animals....