Kadiatou Diallo
 Kadiatou Diallo (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) |
Kadiatou Diallo’s son Amadou Diallo was a West African immigrant who was killed by four New York City police officers in the doorway of his Bronx apartment building in Feb. 1999. The police allegedly mistook Amadou’s wallet for a gun, and between them fired 41 shots at the unarmed 22 year old. The case sparked massive protests against racial profiling and police brutality. In the wake of the tragedy Kadiatou moved from Guinea to New York City to fight for justice for her son. Together with former Mayor David Dinkins and other high-profile New Yorkers, Kadiatou formed the Amadou Diallo Foundation to promote racial healing and improve police-community relations. Kadiatou also came together with two other mothers whose sons were killed by police — a Puerto Rican woman named Iris Baez and Gidon Busch, a Hasidic Jew — to form a diverse grassroots coalition. Kadiatou tells the story of her life in Guinea and her outrage at her son’s untimely death in her book, My Heart Will Cross This Ocean: My Story, My Son, Amadou. |
