Call for Activism City College Hosts Black Lives Matter Co-founder Alicia Garza for Talk on Social Justice and Equality

By Ann Marie Galvan agalvan1@mail.ccsf.edu

OnTuesday, April 25, social activist, writer and community organizer Alicia Garza visited the Mission Campus to deliver a talk on social justice and equality in the United States.

The event was co-hosted by three departments: the African American Studies Department, the Labor & Community Studies Department, and the School of Social Sciences, Behavioral Sciences, Ethnic Studies and Social Justice. The event drew a crowd of students and community members, and Garza's speech was a powerful call to action for greater justice and equal rights.

Born in Oakland, Garza co-founded Black Lives Matter (BLM) in 2013 along with Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi. BLM was created in response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman after the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, and gained national attention following the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner in Staten Island, New York — both at the hands of police officers.

Garza’s criticism of the criminal justice system and advocacy for Black communities has earned her recognition as one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people in the world in 2020.

Now, Garza works with the National Domestic Workers Alliance and the Black Futures Lab, an organization dedicated to advancing policies... that improve the lives of Black Americans.

BLM, continued on page 2