“The night that George Zimmerman was acquitted, I think, for black people all over the world, there was a collective feeling of incredible grief and incredible rage. And that verdict not only let George Zimmerman go home to his family, but it sent a message to black people everywhere that our lives did not matter.”

American civil rights activist and writer

Alicia Garza is an American civil rights activist and writer known for co-founding the Black Lives Matter movement. She is a prominent voice for social and racial justice, especially on behalf of Black women, LGBTQ+ people, and immigrants. Her writing and public speaking focus on race, gender, and inequality. Her work has appeared in outlets including Time, Mic, Marie Claire, Elle, Essence, The Guardian, The Nation, The Feminist Wire, Rolling Stone, HuffPost, and Truthout.