Alicia Garza, social activist and cofounder of Black Lives Matter, delivered an empowering speech in the Russell House Ballroom Tuesday evening on the discrimination faced by blacks.
The introduction centered on the death of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old African American high school student who was shot dead by George Zimmerman, who was part of the neighborhood watch crew, in 2012. It was the death of Martin and the controversial Trayvon Martin trial that ignited the modern Black Power movement and encouraged the initial formation of Black Lives Matter, more popularly recognized by their hashtag #BlackLivesMatter.
The trial touched Garza deeply, and she criticized it not only for its verdict but also for its name.
“How are we meant to call it the Trayvon Martin trial?” Garza said. “Trayvon is dead.”
The trial's verdict led her to write a love letter to fellow blacks, with one simple intention: “I felt like there was a need to say, 'I love you.' This was not something we caused or deserve. My letter was an affirmation that we are human beings.”
Garza acknowledged the many black deaths that have occurred both prior to and after Martin’s death, yet she did not discuss them, as she has in previous speeches.
“Now I find that it’s hard to remember all the names of everyone who has died as a result of excessive violence," Garza said. "That’s when we know there’s a problem.”
Garza criticized centuries of state-sanctioned violence and gridlocked governments for continuing to allow this to happen.
Garza also addressed the opposition to her movement, composed of namely two groups: those who criticize Black Lives Matter as limiting, and those who view her as an outside agitator that stirs trouble for those living peacefully.
“I am a firm believer that all lives matter,” Garza said. “Our movement is for everyone who struggles to be free, with a particular focus on blacks. Until all of us are free, none of us are free.”
To those who view her as an outside agitator, Garza said, “Was it not a revolt against a monarchical government that established our freedom? Do only some folks get to resist, or all?”
The movement has grown to include 26 chapters nationwide and two internationally. Garza promised the movement will continue to grow, as their goal is not one that can be accomplished in merely three years.
Garza closed with the same African proverb that she opened with: “Until the lion has its own historian, tails of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.”