George Floyd

Breonna Taylor

Philando Castile

Michael Brown

Eric Garner

Their names are familiar to anyone who watches the news, reads a newspaper, or scrolls through social media.

They have become some of the most prominent examples of both the deadly police violence used against black Americans

and the systemic racism that has allowed it to go relatively unchecked.

And they have become synonymous with the declaration and the movement,

Black Lives Matter. Law and signs, hashtags, t-shirts, and other ephemera proclaiming Black Lives

Matter have become prominent in our communities, at sporting events, and in our online profiles.

And largely because of the public attention, Black Lives Matter has brought to the issue,

street art and memorials depicting the victims of police violence have appeared across the United

States and around the world. The hashtag Black Lives Matter first appeared after the acquittal of

George Zimmerman, a civilian who shot Trayvon Martin in 2012 and was acquitted on murder charges.

It gained traction and visibility after the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner at the hands of police.

Today, the movement is guided by the mission to eradicate white supremacy and build local power

to intervene in violence inflicted on black communities

by the state and vigilantes. While their declaration, Black Lives Matter, is known around the

world, the names Alicia Garza, Patrice Cullors, and Opel Tometti, the three black women who created

the Black Lives Matter movement movement are far less familiar.

On July 13, 2013, when Patrice Marie Colors posted to Facebook,

...