Tamika Mallory facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tamika Mallory
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Mallory in 2020
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| Born |
Tamika Danielle Mallory
September 4, 1980 Manhattan, New York, U.S.
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| Alma mater | The College of New Rochelle |
| Occupation | Activist |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Known for | National chair for the Women's March |
| Children | 1 |
Tamika Danielle Mallory (born September 4, 1980) is an American activist. She is known for her work on civil rights and social justice. She was one of the main organizers of the 2017 Women's March. This was a big worldwide protest. Because of her work, TIME magazine named her and three other co-chairs among the 100 most influential people in 2017. In 2018, she received the Coretta Scott King Legacy Award. Tamika Mallory supports gun control, feminism, and the Black Lives Matter movement.
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Tamika Mallory's Early Life and Family
Tamika Mallory was born in Harlem, a neighborhood in Manhattan, New York City. Her parents, Stanley and Voncile Mallory, were also activists. They helped start the National Action Network (NAN). This is a major civil rights group in the United States.
Tamika grew up in Manhattan and later moved to Co-op City in the Bronx when she was 14. Her parents' work with NAN inspired her. It made her interested in social justice and civil rights. Tamika started working for NAN when she was 15. Later, in 2009, she became its executive director. Tamika is a mother to her son, Tarique. He is also a member of NAN.
How Tamika Mallory Became an Activist
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Tamika Mallory joined the National Action Network (NAN) when she was 11 years old. She wanted to learn more about the Civil Rights Movement. By age 15, she was a volunteer staff member. In 2011, she became the youngest Executive Director at NAN.
After working at NAN for 14 years, Tamika left her director role in 2013. She wanted to focus on her own activism goals. However, she still helps NAN by attending rallies and inviting new members.
Working for New York City
In 2014, Tamika Mallory was chosen to work with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. During this time, she helped create the NYC Crisis Management System. This program works to prevent gun violence. It gives $20 million each year to groups that stop gun violence. She also helped lead a new part of this system called Gun Violence Awareness Month.
Tamika Mallory is also the president of Mallory Consulting. This company helps with planning and managing events in New York City. She is on the board of directors for Gathering for Justice. This group works to end child incarceration. It also tries to change rules that lead to many people being in jail.
Speaking Out and Facing Criticism
Tamika Mallory has spoken out on many issues. In 2018, she criticized Starbucks. This was after two Black men were arrested at a Starbucks store. Starbucks planned a training on racial bias. Mallory was concerned about one of the groups involved in the training. She felt this group had sometimes been unfair to Black and brown people. Starbucks later changed its training plan.
Mallory believes it is important to work with different groups, even if they have different views. She has said that building strong groups means talking to people you might not always agree with.
Leading the Women's March
Tamika Mallory, along with Bob Bland, Carmen Perez, and Linda Sarsour, organized the 2017 Women's March. This was a huge worldwide protest on January 21, 2017. The march protested the start of U.S. President Donald Trump's term. It also supported women's rights, immigration reform, LGBTQIA rights, health-care reform, environmental protection, racial justice, and racial equality.
How the March Was Planned
The idea for the Women's March started after Donald Trump was elected. A grandmother in Hawaii, Teresa Shook, created a Facebook event for a march in Washington, D.C. At the same time, Bob Bland in New York City also created an event. Soon, hundreds of thousands of people showed interest online. This huge interest helped the march become real.
The two Facebook events were combined. Bob Bland reached out to Tamika Mallory, Carmen Perez, and Linda Sarsour. She wanted to make sure the march included voices from people of color. The organizers wanted to include many different leaders and voices. They aimed to involve people from all backgrounds.
Tamika Mallory has explained that the march was a direct response to Trump's election. But its bigger goal was to address social problems in the United States. The march gave women, minorities, people of color, LGBTQIA people, and others a chance to share their concerns. Mallory said she took on this role to make sure Black women's voices were heard and their issues were addressed.
Mallory worked to make the Women's March a place for voices that are often not heard in social activism. She felt that past marches had not fully recognized how different parts of identity, like race, class, and gender, connect. She said the organizers worked to make the march as welcoming as possible to create the most change.
What Happened After the March
After the 2017 march, the organizers started a "10 Actions for the First 100 Days" campaign. This was to keep the energy of social activism going. The first action was to write a postcard to Senators about important issues. The organizers provided a guide online. The second action was to hold or join a "huddle." These were informal meetings to talk about how to turn feelings into local and national action. The third action was to attend or host a "Hear Our Voice" event. This was a more formal meeting to encourage ongoing change.
In 2021, Tamika Mallory released her first book, State of Emergency. The book shares her experiences as an activist. It talks about fighting for equal justice and gives advice for effective activism.
The 2019 Women's March
Tamika Mallory was also one of the co-presidents of the 2019 Women's March. She led the march with her co-chairs from 2017: Linda Sarsour, Carmen Perez, and Bob Bland.
During this time, Mallory faced some criticism. This was due to her relationship with Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. She attended a speech by Farrakhan in 2018. Some people called for her and other Women's March leaders to step down. Mallory responded by saying she did not agree with all of Farrakhan's statements. She also said she would not use his language. She stated that she believes in working with people even when there are disagreements.
Tamika Mallory and the George Floyd Protests
Tamika Mallory took part in the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis–Saint Paul in May 2020. In a speech, she spoke about how some people seemed more worried about damaged property than about justice for George Floyd's death. She also suggested that some property damage might have been caused by people trying to stir up trouble.
Images for kids
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Mallory in 2020
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Mallory speaking at the 2017 Tax March
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Mallory in 2020
See also
In Spanish: Tamika Mallory para niños
