[1][2][3] An early supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement, he has been active in the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, and Baltimore, Maryland and on social media outlets such as Twitter and Instagram.

[5] Along with Johnetta Elzie, Brittany Packnett, and Samuel Sinyangwe, Mckesson launched Campaign Zero, a policy platform to end police violence.

[8] Mckesson is the author of On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope, a memoir about his life and time as a Black Lives Matter organizer.

[11] After graduation, Mckesson began his education career by working for Teach for America for two years in a New York City elementary school.

[12][13] In June 2016, he was appointed Baltimore City Schools' interim chief human capital officer by district CEO Sonja Santelises.

[26] In November of the same year, Mckesson spoke at the GLAAD Gala, where he discussed his life as a gay man and asked LGBT people to "come out of the quiet.

[38] In 2017, Mckesson launched the Pod Save the People podcast, discussing news, culture, social justice, and politics with co-hosts Brittany Packnett Cunningham, Samuel Sinyangwe, Dr. Clint Smith, and guests.

[40] The suit was dismissed in October 2017; U.S. District Judge Brian Jackson's ruling would be upheld in August 2018 by the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in an unpublished (that is, not precedential) opinion.

Jackson also dismissed that case in September 2017, ruling that the officer "utterly failed to state a plausible claim" and instead launched a "confused attack" against Black Lives Matter and others.

[42][43] On the same day U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles approved a settlement awarding up to $1,000 to protesters, including Mckesson, who claim police used excessive force in arresting them.

[43] However on April 24, 2019 the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed Jackson's ruling against the officer injured by the rock, allowing that suit to go forward.