Alicia Garza co-founded a global movement while building local power for marginalized communities
In short: Alicia Garza is best known for co-founding Black Lives Matter, but her career spans decades of grassroots organizing. From fighting for transit access to launching the Black Census Project, Garza focuses on building political power for Black communities and women, proving that systemic change requires both mobilization and long-term strategy.
Born in Oakland in 1981, Alicia Garza began her activism at age 12 by advocating for school sex education. Her approach to social change was refined through years of community-based work in the Bay Area, including roles with the National Domestic Workers Alliance and the School of Unity and Liberation. These experiences grounded her in the mechanics of political education and grassroots organizing, which she later applied to broader national campaigns.
The Black Lives Matter movement emerged from a 2013 Facebook post Garza wrote following the acquittal of George Zimmerman. Alongside Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi, she helped transform a hashtag into a global phenomenon, popularizing the practice of mediated mobilization. Despite the movement's visibility, Garza views her work as a continuation of historical resistance led by Black people in America rather than a personal creation. She has consistently sought to humanize the labor behind activism, noting that the work often breaks her heart while simultaneously toughening her resolve.
Garza’s influence extends into policy and electoral strategy. In 2018, she launched the Black Futures Lab to advance policies that strengthen Black communities, initiating the Black Census Project—the largest survey of Black people since the Reconstruction era. Additionally, she co-founded Supermajority in 2019 to mobilize women ahead of the 2020 election. Through these initiatives, as well as her writing and podcasting, Garza continues to challenge inequality by bridging the gap between protest and political power, ensuring that the issues affecting marginalized groups remain central to the national conversation.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Alicia Garza
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