Sandra Bland
Activist
Black civil rights activist who voiced her opinion about police brutality against African Americans under the hashtag #SandySpeaks on social media. She was pulled over for a minor traffic violation and arrested after a heated dispute that quickly escalated to her allegedly assaulting the officer.
She attended Willowbrook High School and then went on to study agriculture at Prairie View A&M University in Texas. She was part of the Black Lives Matter campaign and began posting videos of police brutality in January 2015.
She had over 10 previous encounters with police in both Illinois and Texas and owed upwards of $7,579 in fines. She was found hanging in her jail cell with what was ruled to be a suicide in July 2015.
She was born and raised in Naperville, Illinois, and was one of five sisters.
She was part of the Black Lives Matter movement, which was created after the acquittal of George Zimmerman, a security guard who wrongfully shot African-American teen Trayvon Martin.