Demetrius (TK) Marshall

Black Lives Matter. I want to start this off with that statement so you can read those
words and put them in your head and wishing for you to understand the significance of not only
those words, but the hurt behind it. I am hoping to show you firsthand of how African
Americans near you are affected and you may not even know it. Here is the story of Demetrius
(TK) Marshall.

TK Marshall; a student athlete at North Dakota State University. Grew up in

Minneapolis, Minnesota with what he says is “A LOT” of siblings; some he is very close to while
others are in jail. Highschool is what seemed like a movie to many. TK was star athlete in
football, a star athlete in track, and what many of his peers say: popular. Not to mention being
TikTok famous which many of us on dream to achieve. The young teenager enjoyed highschool
to the fullest and would not change a thing. However, growing up in Minneapolis was not
always sunshine and rainbows. According to CBS NEWS, Minneapolis is ranked number one
when it comes to violent crimes and has experienced what is still a huge problem in todays
society: Police Brutality and Black inequality. This a problem that TK has experienced and has
been trying to spread awareness to his community and across America.

TK has many goals but one that has stuck with him is to make it to the NFL in desires to
get his family out of Minneapolis. TK has had this goal for a very long time and continues strive
for it every day. He knows that this goal will take extremely hard work in which is why TK has
been grinding his whole life to get where he is now with many thanks to his brother, Shane.
TK’s older brother, Shane not only pushed him to be his best, but taught him many valuable
lessons that he will continue to implement in his life forever. TK later states, “without my
brother, I would be nowhere near the man I am today” (Marshall). Not everyone gets the
opportunity to play football for the number one FCS football program in the country. However,
TK cannot do this all on his own. He gives great thanks to his teammates/roommates Raja,
Courtney, and Oscar for continuing to push him to become the best he can be in not only in
football but all aspects of life.

This brings us back to his ‘why’ behind his goal, “To get my family outta here
[Minneapolis]” (Marshall). Being an African American in the heart of Minneapolis is something
TK does not want his family to be a part of. From the violent crimes, to the police brutality, TK
has experienced it first-hand. TK says, “City was just, I don’t know… life for me” (Marshall).
Violence was all around him and it almost felt as if it were normal. Not only was violence
around him but police brutality. It almost feels as if he has to be thinking about what he is doing
every time he steps foot out his home. TK first had an encounter with police brutality in winter
of 2017. When a cop hand cuffed Tk and his friend and forced them to the ground in the
freezing snow. As TK was trying to explain that the officers had the wrong guys, the officer
pointed a gun at TK and said, “do not look at me or I’ll shoot you.” This officer had threatened
and pointed a deadly weapon at a teenage kid that was unarmed and in hand cuffs. Is this how
officers should go about their job? Terrorizing African Americans and then go about their day
with no punishment? When will this come to an end?
 TK does his part not only in his community, but to the media. TK uses his name and
popularity to spread awareness of what him, his community, and what many other African
Americans go through. With a following of close to 140,000 on social media platforms
Instagram and TikTok, it is easy for him to get the word out there. He is doing as much as he can
to inform the people who are not around it (like myself) to learn about the daily struggles of
being black in America. TK says, “I try my best to inform people who really don’t understand
how difficult it can be to be black in America” (Marshall). For many people in our country, they
do not truly understand what it is like to go through racial inequality; so, for TK, that is a job he
is trying to accomplish. “Once everyone can realize we have a problem, then I feel like we can
move forward” (Marshall). He later explains how people are so stuck on an opinion but once
the majority of people finally understands that there is a problem and what it is, then he
believes we will be able to move forward.
 Works Cited
Demetrius (Tk) Marshall
CBS NEWS (https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/the-most-dangerous-cities-in-america/14/)