Patrisse Cullors, social activist and co-creator of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, delivered the U of L Pride Week keynote address on Oct. 1.
Sponsored by the U of L Student Activities Board and hosted by the U of L LGBT Center, Cullors’ speech was the culmination of Pride Week’s message—a call to action for all groups of oppressed people, particularly African-Americans and the LGBT community. Prior to the speech, the University of Louisville was recognized for being in the top 25 colleges nationwide for its LGBT acceptance.
Cullors began her speech by introducing the mission of #BlackLivesMatter, a movement that has gained significant ground in the past two years. In response to George Zimmerman’s acquittal in the shooting of Trayvon Martin, co-founders Cullors and Alicia Garza created the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter as a social media campaign against police brutality targeted at African-Americans. Since, the group has expanded to include 26 chapters across the United States, with hopes of developing specific policy agendas for future presidential candidates.
“#BlackLivesMatter is a movement for black, queer and fem liberation,” said Cullors. “What people fail to realize is how often these oppressed groups intersect. Therefore, we have increased leverage over the mainstream media to attract all sorts of individuals towards our cause.”
Cullors addressed several questions over the issue of police brutality in the United States, citing the deaths of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner and others as examples of the intense racial profiling African-Americans face from cops to this day. Focusing her speech on individual policy objectives the country can take towards justice, Cullors even went into detail on the argument of cameras on cops.
“To me, the ‘body camera’ rhetoric is used as an end goal to the problem—but haven’t we seen enough videos already? Nothing’s changed because of that,” said Cullors. “Instead, we need to direct our attention to social media and organized protest, because that’s where change truly happens.”
Cullors has remained grateful for the opportunities that social networks such as Twitter and Facebook have granted her. Cullors and her fellow co-founders have been witnesses to what many call the “New Civil Rights Movement.” According to her, the energy around #BlackLivesMatter is unlike any sort of protest she’s been a part of.
“My blackness taught me resilience,” Cullors said. “I have already existed on the margins as a young black woman—being queer increased that tenfold. But what I see today is hundreds of thousands of young and dynamic people willing to be agents of change in their communities, willing to stand up to violence and hypocrisy with a firm fist in the air.”
Cullors plans to remain devoted to the movement, traveling all over the country with her co-founders to continue the discourse on police brutality and racial violence.
“If ‘All Lives Matter’ like some people say they do, then we wouldn’t have to say ‘Black Lives Matter,’” said Cullors. “My hope for the next 20 to 30 years is to not have this discussion of police brutality anymore, but to ignite civic and political engagement for black communities all across the nation. Anything is possible.”
Photo courtesy / NPR
