Patrisse Cullors (bottom), Alicia Garza (top), and Opal Tometi (middle) created a national movement by organizing themselves and others around the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter on social media. It was their response to George Zimmerman’s acquittal for the 2012 murder of seventeen-year-old Trayvon Martin. Stunned and frustrated by the verdict and determined that this would not happen again, these gifted women pooled their skills, talents, and commitment in a public call to action to combat racism and oppression.
Now global in scope, #BlackLivesMatter affirms Black life in the face of systemic police brutality, mass incarceration, racism, and prejudice of all kinds. This includes supporting Black women, queer and transgender folks, people with disabilities, the Black-undocumented, and those with criminal records.
Patrisse Cullors (born in 1984) is an artist, organizer, educator, and performance artist, active in many causes in the Los Angeles community, including prison abolition. She believes that “curiosity is a foundation for activism.”
Alicia Garza (born in 1981) is an activist, writer, and community organizer who directs special projects at the National Domestic Workers Alliance in the San Francisco Bay Area. Alicia wrote three words at the end of a singular Facebook post: “Black lives matter.” She is now the cofounder of the global organization of the same name.
Opal Tometi (born in 1984) is a Nigerian American writer and organizer from New York, who developed the social media strategies of the BLM platform. She is also executive director of Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI), created in response to anti-immigrant sentiment and repressive immigration bills.
The #BlackLivesMatter movement has forced many in America to confront the legacy of racism and inspires those who are concerned about justice and equality.