Alicia Garza facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alicia Garza
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Garza in 2016
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| Born | January 4, 1981 Oakland, California, U.S.
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| Other names | Alicia Schwartz |
| Education | University of California, San Diego (BA) |
| Occupation | Activist |
| Known for | Black Lives Matter, People Organized to Win Employment Rights, National Domestic Workers Alliance |
| Movement | Black Lives Matter, Movement for Black Lives |
| Spouse(s) |
Malachi Garza
(m. 2008; div. 2021) |
Alicia Garza (born January 4, 1981) is an American civil rights activist and writer. She is best known for helping to start the Black Lives Matter movement. Garza works to make things fair for everyone, especially for groups that are often left out. These groups include Black women and LGBTQ+ people.
She is also a writer and speaker. Her writings about race, gender, and fairness have been in many well-known publications. Alicia Garza has worked with groups like the National Domestic Workers Alliance. She also started the Black Futures Lab, which helps Black communities gain political power. She works to create big changes and fight against unfairness in society.
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Early life and education
Alicia Garza was born in Oakland, California, on January 4, 1981. She grew up in a family with different backgrounds and religions. Her family ran an antiques business. When she was 12 years old, Alicia started getting involved in activism.
She went to the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). There, she continued her activism by working at the student health center. She also joined a student group that asked for better pay for the university's janitors. In her last year of college, she helped organize the first Women of Color Conference at UCSD in 2002. She finished college in 2002 with a degree in anthropology and sociology.
Career and activism
Learning to organize
In 2003, Garza returned to the Bay Area. She joined a program called the School of Unity and Liberation (SOUL). This program taught young people of color how to organize communities. Garza then worked with an organization called Just Cause Oakland.
She also worked with People United for a Better Life in Oakland (PUEBLO). Her first project with PUEBLO was to get people in East Oakland to protest against a new Walmart store. Even with their efforts, the store opened in 2005.
Later, Garza worked with a group called People Organized to Win Employment Rights (POWER). She fought for fair treatment in jobs, the environment, and for different races and genders. She also worked to improve public housing and transportation.
Starting Black Lives Matter
After a short break, Garza joined the National Domestic Workers Alliance. She created a program for Black domestic workers. Around the same time, she helped start Black Lives Matter with Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi.
Garza is known for inspiring the Black Lives Matter slogan. She posted on Facebook: "I continue to be surprised at how little Black lives matter... Our lives matter." Cullors then shared this with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter.
The Black Lives Matter movement grew because of police killings of Black people. It also grew due to unfairness in the U.S. justice system. The movement became very popular after protests in Ferguson, Missouri, following the death of Michael Brown.
Garza led the 2015 Freedom Ride to Ferguson. This event helped start Black Lives Matter groups across the United States and worldwide. Garza believes her work continues a long history of Black people fighting for their rights in America. The movement and Garza are known for using social media to bring many people together for protests. This is called "mediated mobilization."
Writing and speaking
On April 10, 2020, Garza started her podcast, "Lady Don’t Take No." It is named after a song and talks about politics and other topics.
Garza's first book, The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart, came out in October 2020. The book shares her story as an activist and offers advice for others. She wrote that her experience with Black Lives Matter "toughened my skin and softened my heart." She wanted people to understand the challenges of this work.
Garza is a very influential African American leader. She has given speeches across the country, including at the United Nations.
More work and recognition
Garza's writings have been in many publications like The Guardian and Rolling Stone. She currently works on special projects at the National Domestic Workers Alliance.
She used to be the director of People Organized to Win Employment Rights (POWER). In that role, she helped young people get free public transportation in San Francisco. She also fought against rising living costs and police brutality.
In 2015, Garza was honored as a local hero in Oakland, California. This was for her contributions to the LGBTQ community and society. She marched in the Pride parade with other Black Lives Matter organizers.
Garza has given many speeches. In 2017, she spoke to students at San Francisco State University. She praised the strength of Black women who have led activism throughout history. In 2021, she was the main speaker at UC San Diego's graduation.
Activism in politics
Empowering women and Black communities
In 2019, Garza helped create an organization called Supermajority. She started it with Cecile Richards and Ai-jen Poo. Supermajority aims to empower American women in politics. They want to train and mobilize millions of women to become leaders. Their goal is to create a "women's new deal" that focuses on issues like voting rights, paid family leave, and equal pay.
In 2018, Garza launched Black Futures Lab. This group works to make Black communities stronger through policy changes. Their first project was the Black Census Project. This was the largest survey of Black people since the Reconstruction era in the United States. The survey asked about political views, experiences with racism and police violence, and access to healthcare. Black Futures Lab uses these results to help create new laws and policies.
Presidential elections
Garza has shared her views on presidential elections. She has criticized some politicians for not doing enough for Black communities. In the 2016 election, she voted for Bernie Sanders in the primary election. However, she voted for Hillary Clinton in the general election to prevent Donald Trump from winning.
In 2020, Garza spoke about how the Black Lives Matter movement is sometimes misunderstood. She said it is not anti-white or a terrorist group. She supported the Green New Deal and encouraged more people to vote. Garza endorsed Elizabeth Warren in the 2020 Democratic primary election.
Awards and honors
Alicia Garza has received many awards for her work. She was named on the Root 100 list of influential African American achievers. She was also recognized on the Politico50 list of thinkers and visionaries.
She received the Local Hero award from the San Francisco Bay Guardian. The Harvey Milk Democratic Club has given her the Bayard Rustin Community Activist Award twice. She also received the Jeanne Gauna Communicate Justice Award.
In 2015, Garza, Cullors, and Tometi were runners-up for The Advocate's Person of the Year. In 2017, they were awarded the Sydney Peace Prize.
In 2018, Garza was part of the first group of Atlantic Fellows for Racial Equity. These fellows work to fight racism in the U.S. and South Africa.
In 2020, Fortune magazine included Garza on its '40 Under 40' list. She was also named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2020. The BBC also included her on their list of 100 Women in 2020.
Personal life
Alicia Garza was married to Malachi Garza, who is also an activist. They were married for 13 years.
Garza has a tattoo on her chest inspired by a poem. It says, "I am not wrong: Wrong is not my name. My name is my own my own my own." This shows the strong connection between the Black Lives Matter movement and African American culture.
In 2018, Garza's mother passed away.
See also
In Spanish: Alicia Garza para niños
