Massey Commission names Sonya’s cousin Sontae Massey as assistant managing director; Kelly Hurst and Adam White also added to staff as well

As the Massey Commission surpassed the six-month mark, a familiar name is now one of its paid staffers.

Sontae Massey, a cousin of Sonya Massey, a Black woman who was fatally shot by a former Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy in her home in an unincorporated neighborhood of Springfield on July 6, is now the assistant managing director after previously serving on the commission.

The commission has become “a forum for analysis and inquiry into the systems and conditions” that serve as context for Massey’s killing as well as others who have suffered at the hands of first responders in the county.

Two other staffers also have been added: Kelly Hurst, the managing director, and Adam White, the public engagement coordinator.