“I knew marriage was not the answer to changing the conditions for poor, black, queer folks. So I never felt compelled to get married - it just didn't seem important. But even if marriage wasn't right for me at the time, or a quick fix toward black empowerment, I found it repulsive that loving same-sex couples were refused the right.”

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.