“Every community has crime and violence; it's a part of being human. This idea that black communities are more violent than others is just false. But black folks fight the hardest for our communities. Before governments do, before other people do, we're the first ones to show up. We are the first ones to fight for our lives.”

American progressive activist, artist, and writer

Patrisse Cullors is an American progressive activist, artist, and writer. She is best known as a co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement and for helping bring the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag into wider use in 2013. She has written and spoken widely about the movement and the issues around it. Her public work is closely tied to activism, art, and writing, with a focus on Black lives and racial justice.