Patrisse Cullors facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Patrisse Cullors
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Cullors in 2015
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Patrisse Cullors
June 20, 1983 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Education | University of California, Los Angeles (BA) University of Southern California (MFA) |
| Occupation | Activist, artist, writer |
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Notable work
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Black Lives Matter |
| Children | 1 |
Patrisse Marie Khan-Cullors Brignac (born June 20, 1983) is an American activist, artist, and writer. She is best known as one of the co-founders of the Black Lives Matter movement. In 2013, Cullors created the famous hashtag #BlackLivesMatter and has written and spoken about the movement all over the world.
An activist is someone who works hard to bring about political or social change. Cullors also works to improve the prison system and supports LGBTQ rights. In her work, she uses ideas from different thinkers who studied how society works.
Contents
Early Life and Schooling
Cullors was born in Los Angeles, California. She grew up in a poor neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. Her mother, Cherice Foley, raised her and her three siblings. Her stepfather, Alton Cullors, worked in low-paying jobs after the car factory he worked at closed down.
Her biological father, Gabriel Brignac, was not in her life until she was eleven. He faced many personal challenges and was in and out of jail. Cullors said he was still a caring person in her life.
A difficult experience with her brother, Monte, was a big reason she became an activist. After getting into trouble, Monte was sent to prison where he was treated very badly. Seeing what happened to her brother made Cullors want to fight for change.
Cullors went to different schools as a child. She saw that schools in wealthy areas were very different from schools in working-class neighborhoods. This showed her that not everyone was treated equally. As a teenager, she joined the Bus Riders Union, a group that fought for better public transportation. There, she learned about social movements and how people can work together to make a difference.
She later went to college and earned a degree in religion and philosophy from UCLA. She also received a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Southern California.
Career as an Organizer
Cullors has used her knowledge and experience to teach others. She has taught at Otis College of Art and Design and Prescott College, where she taught classes about art and social justice.
Founding Black Lives Matter
In 2013, a man named George Zimmerman was found not guilty in the killing of Trayvon Martin, a young African-American teenager. Many people were upset and frustrated by this decision. In response, Cullors, along with her friends and fellow organizers Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi, started Black Lives Matter.
Garza wrote a Facebook post about the case, using the phrase "Black lives matter." Cullors then created the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter to share the message online. The hashtag quickly spread across social media, and a new movement was born.
Cullors and the other co-founders wanted to create a movement where many people could be leaders, not just a few. For years, Cullors was one of the main public faces of the organization. She believes social media is a powerful tool for showing the world what is happening. She said, "On a daily basis, every moment, black folks are being bombarded with images of our death ... It's literally saying, 'Black people, you might be next.'"
In May 2021, Cullors stepped down from her role as executive director of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation. She wanted to focus on new projects, including writing her second book and working on a TV deal with Warner Bros.
Other Important Work
Cullors has been involved in many other projects to help her community. She started a group called the Coalition to End Sheriff Violence in L.A. Jails. The group wanted to stop the mistreatment of people in jails and create a community group to watch over the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
She also co-founded Dignity and Power Now, an organization that helps people in prison and their families. She is also a board member of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights.
Beliefs and Ideas
Cullors believes there are better ways to create safe communities than just using police and prisons. She is part of the prison abolition movement, which looks for solutions to problems that don't involve putting people in jail.
She also supports reparations. This is the idea of repairing the harm caused to communities by unfair systems and history. This could include financial support, land, and better education programs.
Cullors has been inspired by many writers and activists who fought for fairness and equality. Her mentor, Eric Mann, taught her a lot about organizing when she was young. She also learned from Black female writers who helped her understand her own identity and the world. She believes in using "nonviolent direct action," which means protesting in a peaceful but powerful way.
Books and Media
Cullors has shared her story and ideas through books, movies, and TV shows.
Books
In 2018, Cullors published her book, When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir. The book tells the story of her childhood and explains how her experiences led her to co-found Black Lives Matter. It became a bestseller on The New York Times list.
Her second book, An Abolitionist's Handbook: 12 Steps to Change Yourself and the World, was released in 2022. She describes it as a guide for activists to help them work together and support each other.
Television and Film
Cullors appeared in the 2016 documentary Stay Woke: The Black Lives Matter Movement. She also produced a YouTube Originals series called Resist in 2020. The series followed activists working for change in their communities.
In October 2020, she signed a deal with Warner Bros. to create TV shows that share Black stories and highlight the Black Lives Matter movement.
Awards and Recognition
Cullors has received many awards for her work as an activist and leader.
- 2007 Mario Savio Young Activist of the Year
- An NAACP History Maker, 2015
- With Opal Tometi, and Alicia Garza (as "The Women of #BlackLivesMatter") listed as one of the nine runners-up for The Advocate's Person of the Year, 2015
- A Glamour Woman of the Year, 2016
- One of Fortune's World's Greatest Leaders, 2016
- An honorary doctorate from Clarkson University
- the 2018 recipient of the José Muñoz Award from CLAGS: The Center for LGBTQ Studies
- In 2015, the Los Angeles Times named her one of "the new civil rights leaders."
- In June 2020, Queerty named her one of 50 heroes "leading the nation toward equality, acceptance, and dignity for all people."
- In 2020, she was included on Time's list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
- Cullors was on the list of the BBC's 100 Women announced in November 2020.
- Along with Opal Tometi and Alicia Garza, Cullors was named the 2013 Women of the Year by Time in 2020.
See also
In Spanish: Patrisse Cullors para niños
