When Alicia Garza wrote "Black lives matter" in a Facebook post nearly seven years ago, the activist from Oakland, California, never imagined that those words would come to define a global. From her earliest days of advocating for female . She has served as a board member of Forward Together's Oakland branch, Black Organizing for Leadership and Dignity, and Oakland's School of Unity and Liberation/SOUL. Daniel Garza poses with one of his clients and an award he won for his tattoo. There are so many people out there who are looking around them and asking, How did we get here, and what can I do about it? I hope this book helps you answer that question by learning a bit about my own journey as an organizer, how I found the movement and what I've learned (and unlearned) along the way. Her activism connects emerging social movements, without diminishing the structural violence facing black people. Alicia Garza: I wrote this book because it's the book I would have wanted when I was first starting out as an organizer. [20] In particular, the movement was born and Garza's post became popularized after protests emerged in Ferguson, Missouri, following the death of Michael Brown. var stylesheet = document.createElement("link"); For a long time, I did this work and wasn't really that hopeful about change. Moms has a glioblastomaa very aggressive brain tumor. Occupation(s): All of this to say: I am hopeful, and I am waiting to see what Vice President-elect Harris does in this role that gives the symbolism of this moment some substance. Black lives matter is so simple and yet so complex. But she also acknowledges that there are challenges moving from symbol to substance. Of the critiques to defund the police, Garza references the criticism Black Lives Matter received for years. Garza recently traveled to Cleburne, where he claimed five awards, and Sulphur Springs, where he raked in eight. We have been treating Donald Trump as an exception to the rule, rather than as the rule itself. There would be no America were it not for black women. }, Amplifying 2 million women across the U.S. "https://":"http://";i+=f?g:k;i+=j;i+=h;c(i)}if(!e.ue_inline){if(a.loadUEFull){a.loadUEFull()}else{b()}}a.uels=c;e.ue=a})(window,document); Garza has a tattoo emblazoned on her chest that reads: and I can't tell you who the hell set things up like this, but I can tell you that from now on my resistance, my simple and daily and nightly self-determination, These are the final lines in June Jordan's "Poem about My Rights"[9], The sentiment of #BlackLivesMatter has deep roots in African American culture. For more on Alicia Garzas work, you can visit her website and follow her on Twitter and Instagram @chasinggarza. //]]> It really is a very direct assertion of both a problem and a solution at the same time. This event was streamed live online with an interactive Q&A. //]]> I think what were confused by is how we feel about it. She points to the past struggles for desegregation and interracial marriage. googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(true); Today, thanks to the movement's foundersGarza . folks who come from a range of backgrounds and experiences, and it makes our work better. At first, she says, "we didn't feel like owners of it. [48], While Garza has been critical of Donald Trump,[49] she has also been critical of Barack Obama[50] and Hillary Clinton, saying: "The Clintons use black people for votes, but then don't do anything for black communities after they're elected. Garza: Figure out what you really care about. fetchBids: function() { But this? The majority of companies in this country are run by and designed by people who reflect the dominant culture in society. I wrote a post saying that we deserve to live, she continued. stop giving up on black life. This is bigger than all that. This project was the largest survey on Black People since the Reconstruction era of the United States. We see Black communities being engaged . page: {requestId: "H7H9FCNA7870XN0WV9HE", meaningful: "interactive"} apstag.init({ Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. [10], On March 28, 2018, Garza announced via her Instagram page, "I wish this was a better update. Garza: To be honest, there is glaring inequity of Black people overall in sectors and industries, and that has everything to do with the way that racism permeates every aspect of our society and economy. In 2017, she and the other Black Lives Matter co-founders Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi were awarded the Sydney Peace Prize in Sydney, in Australia. [65], Alicia Garza will be the keynote speaker at UC San Diego's 2021 Commencement ceremonies, held on June 1113, 2021. Go deeper into fascinating topics with original video series from TED. You can't say some Black lives matter or they kind of matter or they matter sometimes. That we deserve to live with dignity, no matter who we are, or where we come from. [CDATA[ I ended that post by saying that our lives matter. Garza is now the 27th most influential African American (behind her counterpart, Patrisse Cullors) on the Root 100, an annual list of black influencers. function isShowingBuyableFeatures() { By Alicia Garza Ms. Garza, a founder of the Black Lives Matter Global Network, is the head of the Black Futures Lab. You have to believe that change can happen if you are going to be a part of making change. Alicia Garza's name will go down in American history as being one of the three women, alongside Patrisse Cullors and Ay Tometi, who conceived of and popularized the slogan #BlackLivesMatter nearly 10 years ago in response to Trayvon Martin's 2013 killing. Power also means having the ability to reward and punish and decide how resources are distributed." Here we are seven years later, and I think what's become clear is that some of the discomfort with this statement is that it forces you to choose sides. Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi are the founders of #BlackLivesMatter, a grass-roots organization. return true; //]]> [59], In 2018 Garza was named in the inaugural cohort of the Atlantic Fellows for Racial Equity (AFRE). [27], Garza was one of the protesters holding back the BART train in Oakland, CA in 2014. I try to do things every day that bring me joy or challenge metrying new recipes, for example, or planting the garden for the third time after cabbage moths have gone bananas in it. Cullors then put Garzas Facebook post on Twitter, with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter. And we know that has been true throughout history. That's a fact. var gads = document.createElement("script"); I remember when we werent having substantive conversations about anti-Black racism or state violence, says Alicia Garza, who helped launch the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement in 2013. . Alicia Garza and Ice Cube found common ground together last month to work on his Contract With Black America. The movement has been massively successful in organizing hundreds of thousands of people, and dollars, to fight for ideological and political intervention in a world whereBlack lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise, as the founderswrite of Black Lives Matters herstory.Whats more, it laid the groundwork for todays womens movement, the Womens March, the rise of #MeToo, and other sociopolitical, digitally native social justice movements. Schnall: There is much that must concern and upset you, yet you always convey such a calm and centered demeanor. When the nearby work committee pulled their assistance in the action against Walmart, PUEBLO was unable to win. So much of American culture is built on consumerism. Alicia Garza: We created the Black Census Project because we want to change the dynamic where candidates talk about Black communities, but don't talk to us. During election season, I always cringe when I see can didates eating. Garza: When I think about how to make change, I often think about all the components necessary to create communities. The threat here, just to be specific about it, is that there are forces that don't want us to win and that want to distort what it would mean for us to win. Garzas extensive experience as an impactful organizer and activist has provided her with valuable insights, lessons and wisdom to share, which is what inspired her to write her new book, The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart. [23], On April 10, 2020 Garza debuted her podcast Lady Dont Take No, named after the song Lady Don't Tek No" by Latyrx. for(var i=0; i
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