Many people do not know that Black Lives Matter was founded by three African American women: Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi, and Patrisse Cullors. The three women came together in the time of strife, after the murder of Trayvon Martin, to fight against black oppression and social injustice. Each was an activist in different organizations fighting different issues before forming Black Lives Matter. Black Lives Matter does not stand solely against police brutality, but it also combats other social issues as well.
Alicia Garza, a Black Lives Matter co-founder, is also an editorial writer. Many of the issues that she focuses on are student services and rights, domestic workers’ rights, police brutality, and LGBTQ conformity in African American women. She has written articles for The Huffington Post, The Guardian, The Feminist Wire, and more to discuss these issues. Not only is she the co-founder of BLM, but she also directs special projects at the National Domestic Workers Alliance. She has been especially active in organizing peaceful protests, such as shutting down the Bay Area Transit in California. Garza is also credited for creating the slogan “Black lives matter,” when she tweeted about George Zimmerman's acquittal with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter. It was then that the hashtag and phrase became popular, and is now frequently seen during social injustice against the black community.
Similar to Garza, Opal Tometi is also an activist and writer. Her articles have been published in The Huffington Post. Opal Tometi is a Nigerian-American, who collaborates and communicates between Oakland, California, and Washington, D.C. communities to communities further south. Before co-founding Black Lives Matter, she worked as the executive director of Black Alliance for Just Immigration. She has said that she holds this organization close to her heart because of her parents, who were immigrants from Nigeria. Before working as a writer and activist, she was a caseworker for domestic violence. After leaving that career, she continues her activist work and raises awareness on the topic of domestic abuse in communities nationwide. As the co-founder of Black Lives Matter, Tometi has been said to be the social media personnel for the Black Lives Matters, which really helped the movement gain more awareness nationwide. Her end of the movement focuses more on national support of immigration. She has organized rallies and protests in Washington, D.C. and has spoken at Congressional hearings in regards to the issue.
Patrisse Cullors is an African-American who has been an activist for criminal justice reform in Los Angeles, California. This social issue has affected her closely because her younger brother was brutalized in a Los Angeles jail for a crime that he was wrongly convicted of. She is also an advocate for the LGBT after experiencing being disowned and kicked out of her home as a young teenager. She contributes to the fight for rights in LGBT community in Black Lives Matter.
Many people think that African-American men were the founders, but it was actually three African-American women, who have been vocal, in the community for many years. All of them have a background of social injustice, which shows how it is important to turn a negative experience into a positive experience as these strong women have. These women have received much persecution for Black Lives Matter from different groups of people, but they stand strong together to fight for the social issues in America. These women are what Sweet Briar women should strive to be. Fighting for what they believe in and making a difference in the community.
