Goucher College will present Alicia Garza, the social activist and co-creator of #BlackLivesMatter, on March 30 at 7:30 p.m. in the college’s Kraashaur Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public, but tickets must be reserved in advance at www.goucher.edu/tickets or by calling 410-337-6333.
When neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman was acquitted of murder in the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, Alicia Garza, a longtime civil rights activist, posted a note on Facebook urging black people to join together to make sure that “black lives matter.” A friend, community organizer Patrisse Cullors, read the post and transformed the phrase into #BlackLivesMatter.
In three short words, Garza had encapsulated the hurt and outrage caused by a wide range of social injustices and coined a rallying cry that highlighted the importance and value of African American lives.
The hashtag went viral, vaulting from social media to the streets and, in the wake of the killings of Martin, Oscar Grant, Michael Brown and Eric Garner, catalyzing protests throughout the United States.
In a matter of months, #BlackLivesMatter became a political and cultural touchstone, inspiring creation of an organizational network boasting 26 chapters, appearing on T-shirts and posters, provoking debates in the presidential campaign and being mentioned in prime-time television shows.
Garza’s work has earned her numerous honors, and her writing has been featured in publications such as The Guardian, The Nation, The Feminist Wire, and Truthout.org. In 2015, Garza and the Black Lives Matter co-founders were honored with inclusion on The Root’s Top 100 List for the movement’s social and political impact.
Garza’s appearance is part of Goucher College’s themed semester titled The Science, Ethics, and Practice of Mindfulness. For a list of events for Goucher students, faculty, and staff, click here.