Olayemi Olurin

Olayemi Olurin Listenⓘ is a Nigerian, Bahamian, and American lawyer, political commentator, writer, and prison abolitionist thinker. Olurin hosts a YouTube show, "Olurinatti The Show," and a podcast, "Olay & Friends." She contributes to outlets like Teen Vogue and has her own Substack, "Olurinatti," where she writes about socio-political issues.

Early life and education

Olurin was born and raised in Nassau, The Bahamas, and moved to the United States in 2008 to attend high school at St. Edmund's Academy in Wheeling, West Virginia.[1] She is Yoruba on her father's side and Bahamian on her mother's side. She experienced racism from other students at the high school school.[2] Olurin holds a B.A. in Political Science, African American Studies, and Law, Justice & Culture from Ohio University and a JD from St. John's University School of Law in 2018.[3][4]

Career

From 2018 until 2022, Olurin worked as a public defender at The Legal Aid Society in New York City. In 2021, she gained attention for posting a video on Twitter showing an NYPD officer kneeling on one of her client's necks, which led to the charges being dismissed.[5][6][7] Olurin is an advocate for criminal justice and prison reform.[8][9][10] She has focused on issues at Rikers Island.[11][12] Her work often covers topics such as deadnaming in the transgender community.[13][14] She advocates for reallocating resources from policing and prisons to address poverty and social issues.[15] Olurin criticized the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict on The Hill's web series Rising.[16] She believes that diversifying police departments alone cannot address racism and violence within policing.[17] She believes that more police are not the solution to increases in crime and mass shootings.[18][19] Olurin has argued that Donald Trump's felony convictions should not be used as a reason to push for felon disenfranchisement.[20]

In an interview on “The Breakfast Club” on 105.1 FM with then-Mayor of New York City Eric Adams, Olurin challenged Adams on his administration's policies.[21] Adams faced intense questioning from her about his policies on crime and punishment.[22][23]

References

  1. ^ "The Worthiness of Service to Others". St. Edmund's Academy. 2016-12-06. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
  2. ^ TANTV (2024-04-16). "Meet Olayemi Olurin: The Woman Who Took on Mayor Eric Adams and Won". TANTV. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
  3. ^ Bundarin, Nick (2023-07-23). "Spotlight: Olayemi Olurin". Medium. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
  4. ^ "Alumni News | A movement lawyer, Olayemi Olurin speaks out about incarceration, public policy". OHIO News. 2022-01-14. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
  5. ^ Chapin, Angelina (2024-04-15). "The Woman Who Ate Eric Adams for Breakfast". The Cut. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
  6. ^ "Listen: Didn't We Just March For This?". The Legal Aid Society. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
  7. ^ Brand, David (2021-02-22). "Body camera damaged after Queens cop appears to kneel on man's neck: attorney". Queens Daily Eagle. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
  8. ^ Kim, Victoria (2023-10-27). "Small Doses Podcast: Lawyer and People's Advocate Olayemi Olurin on Fighting the Racist Prison System". NewsOne. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
  9. ^ ""The Media Emboldens a Police State": A conversation with movement lawyer Olayemi Olurin". theappeal.org. 2022-10-26. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
  10. ^ Steiner, Marc (2022-06-27). "Olayemi Olurin: 'If we can abolish slavery, the prison system is not untouchable'". The Real News Network. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
  11. ^ "Rikers Island, one of America's most notorious jails, is now one of its deadliest". Yahoo News. 2021-11-06. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
  12. ^ "Activists call for end to Rikers Island jail and "90 years of state-sanctioned slavery"". TAG24. 2022-03-01. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
  13. ^ "Olayemi Olurin Schools Robby Soave and Kim Iversen Over Deadnaming Elliot Page: VIDEO - Comic Sands". www.comicsands.com. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
  14. ^ Villarreal, Daniel (2022-07-17). "Journalist expertly shoots downs cis colleagues begging to deadname Elliot Page". LGBTQ Nation. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
  15. ^ "Mass incarceration is slavery. Abolition is a vision for the future". theappeal.org. 2023-02-22. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
  16. ^ "Public Defender Olayemi Olurin Discusses, Debates Rittenhouse Verdict on The Hill's 'Rising'". Davis Vanguard. 2021-11-29. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
  17. ^ Olurin, Olayemi (2023-02-02). "Black Cops Are Still Cops". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
  18. ^ "Black People Care About Crime, But We Don't Need Police Propaganda". Essence. 2023-05-09. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
  19. ^ Olurin, Olayemi (2022-06-01). "What Happened in Uvalde Makes the Case to Defund Police". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
  20. ^ Olurin, Olayemi (2024-05-31). "Trump Should Pay for His Crimes, But Celebrating Felony Disenfranchisement Isn't It". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
  21. ^ "Olayemi Olurin on heated debate with Mayor Eric Adams over crime policies". ny1.com. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
  22. ^ Chapin, Angelina (2024-04-15). "The Woman Who Ate Eric Adams for Breakfast". The Cut. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
  23. ^ "NYC Mayor Eric Adams flamed in debate with Olayemi Olurin on policing, subway crime, stop & frisk". The Hill. 2024-04-03. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
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