When They Call You a Terrorist

Born in 1984, Patrisse Khan-Cullors is one of three cofounders of Black Lives Matter, along with Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi. Growing up in Van Nuys, California at the height of the War on Drugs, Cullors was exposed at an early age to aggressive policing with disproportionate racial outcomes. Her resolve to advocate on behalf of Black men and women caught up in the criminal justice system is steeled by her brother Monte’s experiences with law enforcement. Having seen how the police tend only to escalate the situation when Monte is in a mental health crisis, she embraces a model of community policing in which traditional law enforcement is absent.

The seeds for Black Lives Matter are sown following the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. In a comment on Alicia’s Facebook page, Cullors uses the hashtag “#BlackLivesMatter,” setting off a chain of events that culminates in the founding of a movement of the same name. In her leadership role, Cullors struggles to ensure that her contributions to the movement and the contributions of other LGBTQ+ women are not erased from prevailing narratives. At the same time, it is important to Cullors that the message of the movement takes precedence over any individual personality.