July 22, 2024

In remembrance of Kawana Scott Menchaca

Born in Opelika, Alabama on November 15, 1992, Kawana departed this world before turning 32 this year. She had a passion for public health, and in the truest sense wanted everyone to receive quality healthcare, and for that to be a guaranteed human right. A graduate of Prairie View A&M University, she continued her education at the Baylor School of Public Health and worked for Tarrant County to improve equitable access to medical resources. Even as her own health suffered, she fought for the health of others.

Kawana was rebellious to her core, from her defiant personal aesthetic – an inspiration to everyone who gets it – to being a community leader in the National Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression (NAARPR) as well as Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO). She’d held vigils for victims slain by police violence, led marches and delivered speeches, and fought for complete and democratic community control of the police across the Dallas-Fort Worth area. “She would come through on a moment's notice. She always told her friends she loved us,” says Sydney Loving, chair of the Dallas branch of NAARPR, “She was a really great friend, and she was also a great comrade. She put in work when not many others would – when there was no glory to be had.”