Two area universities will play host to two different Black Lives Matter founders towards the end of this month.
Two area universities will play host to two different Black Lives Matter founders towards the end of this month.
Alicia Garza, activist and co-creator, will come to UR March 22 and Opal Tometi, co-founder, will come to VCU on March 31st.
Garza is an established social activist who focuses on connecting individuals with emerging social movements. Her work has earned numerous honors, including two Harvey Milk Democratic Club Community Awards and inclusion on The Root’s Top 100 List for Black Lives Matter’s social and political impact.
Tometi’s talk, “#BlackLivesMatter: Hashtag in Action,” will be free and open to the public.
Tometi is executive director of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration, a national organization that educates and advocates to further immigrant rights and racial justice together with African-American, Afro-Latino, African and Caribbean immigrant communities.
The Black Lives Matter movement emerged when Garza wrote an outraged post on social media after George Zimmerman was acquitted of the shooting death of Trayvon Martin in 2013. The phrase quickly became a hashtag, prompted nationwide activism and has evolved into one of this generation’s most poignant civil rights campaigns.
“We invited Garza to speak at Richmond because Dr. Jan French and I are teaching a course this semester on human rights politics in the U.S.,” says Jennifer Erkulwater, associate professor of political science. “While she is an advocate for racial justice, Garza also situates race within a demand for basic human rights, including fair wages and a social safety net.”
“We thought she could serve as an inspiration for our students, and frankly all people, who care about social justice and human dignity,” Erkulwater added.
Both events are free and open to the public.
Garza will speak 3/22 @ 4 p.m. in Tyler Haynes Commons, Alice Haynes Room.
Tometi will speak at 3/31 at 7 p.m. at the Stuart C. Siegel Center, 1200 W. Broad St. in Richmond.
