nized the first UC-wide Women of Color Conference at UC San Diego in 2002 . “ It was spurred by some of the work we were doing with UCSA and sharing the experiences of women of color throughout the system , as well as understanding how alienated people felt ,” she says . With the theme of Breaking Chains , Creating Links , the conference encouraged women from across the UC system to mobilize and discuss issues such as activism , the prison-industrial complex and interracial relationships . The conference attracted international attendees , including women from South Africa . “ Nearly 20 years ago she was ahead of her time ,” Tom recalls , “ already speaking truth to power and talking about our collective liberation .”
TWENTY YEARS AGO , one couldn ’ t have imagined how much could be said with just three words typed into a phone . But in August 2014 , one year after Garza ’ s post , the Black Lives Matter movement went offline and onto the streets , as well as onto television screens nationwide . A group of more than 500 supporters took part in a “ Freedom Ride ” to Ferguson , Missouri , with the goal to support and organize protesters after the police shooting of Michael Brown , another unarmed black teenager . The killing was the last straw for a community where racism was a major problem for black residents , and the unrest in the city went on for days .
This would be a massive public gathering under the Black Lives Matter banner , and though Garza and her cofounders were present , she points out that the movement is non-centralized , with no one governing body or headquarters , but rather chapters of activists organizing efforts under a unifying message . “ We created Black Lives Matter not as a plea for people to care ,” Garza said in a recent speech back on campus , “ we created it as an opportunity for black people and our allies to get organized and start to develop , and implement , and win solutions to some of the biggest problems that our country faces .”
TRITON CONNECTION Journalist Jeneé Darden ' 02 only knew Alicia Garza ' 02 in passing while on campus , but the two connected for this article .
Today there are 40 Black Lives Matter chapters in four countries , and the movement is vocal about including people from all backgrounds : immigrants , people with disabilities , and all facets of the LGBTQ spectrum .
And though protest footage is most often the face served to the public , Garza also clarifies how their fight for justice goes far beyond picket signs and marches . “ Black Lives Matter does a lot of policy work ,” she says . People may assume they ’ re not active when they are not seen publicly protesting , but as Garza put it , “ Protesting is like a physical demonstration of people ’ s anger , but there are other things that you have to do in order to change laws . And it doesn ’ t involve a bullhorn .”
For example , in 2018 then-California Governor Jerry Brown signed groundbreaking bills related to police transparency . One required police departments to release audio and video footage of a shooting or other circumstances of severe force within 45 days . Another bill gave public access to internal investigations of officer-involved shootings , and instances of officers accused of lying or committing sexual assault . “ That ’ s the work we ’ ve been doing ,” says Garza .
That work has its champions , as well as detractors — with much of the opposition centered on , of all things , the movement ’ s name . Early opponents reacted to the phrase “ Black Lives Matter ” with “ All Lives Matter .” To this , Garza points out how the two are hardly mutually exclusive ; one simply follows from the other . “ Black Lives Matter doesn ’ t equate to only black lives matter ,” she says . “ All lives do matter — including Black people . It ’ s a call for Black people to be valued and respected like others .”
Still , opponents of Black Lives Matter have accused the organization of being a terror group , anti-police and racist against whites . Even the government is keeping an eye on them . “ Our organization and our movement got us FBI designation ,” Garza says . In 2017 , reports from the FBI and Department of Homeland Security were released showing the organization was under government surveillance and seen as a threat . Other past Black activists such as Dr . Martin Luther King , Jr . and Malcolm X were also monitored by the FBI . “ That ’ s history repeating itself ,” says Garza .
THIS SCRUTINY IS JUST ONE OF THE WAYS Garza ’ s life has changed since that post . Between her heavy travel schedule , professional workload , writing a book and the
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