Patrisse Cullors
Co-founder of Black Lives Matter and prison abolition activist.
Patrisse Cullors is an American activist, artist, and writer best known as a co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement. She created the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter in 2013, building on a phrase used by fellow co-founder Alicia Garza in response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the killing of Trayvon Martin. Along with Garza and Opal Tometi, Cullors helped establish a decentralized movement governed by consensus, with a network of chapters formed by 2015. She became the most publicly visible co-founder after Garza and Tometi stepped back from regular involvement. Cullors has credited social media with exposing violence against African Americans, stating that black people are constantly confronted with images of their own death. She has also advocated for prison abolition in Los Angeles and LGBTQ rights, integrating ideas from critical theory into her activism. Her activism was shaped by personal experiences, including the brutalization of her brother Monte while imprisoned in Los Angeles County jails, which she cites as a key motivation. Cullors has taught at Otis College of Art and Design and Prescott College. She has faced criticism over her personal spending and handling of Black Lives Matter funding. In May 2021, after six years of setting up the organization’s infrastructure, she resigned from her role.
- field
- Activism, art, writing
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Co-founding the Black Lives Matter movement
Lore & Background
Patrisse Cullors is an American activist, artist, and writer who co-founded the Black Lives Matter movement. She created the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag in 2013 to support a Facebook post by fellow organizer Alicia Garza. Cullors grew up in a Section 8 apartment in Van Nuys, a poor, largely Mexican-American neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. As a child, she witnessed police violence, including seeing her 11- and 13-year-old brothers slammed into a wall by officers when she was nine. At age 12, she was arrested for smoking marijuana while attending summer school at Van Nuys Middle School, a school with metal detectors and police presence, a stark contrast to the affluent, mostly white Millikan Middle School she attended during the regular year. Her activism was also shaped by her brother Monte’s brutalization in jail, where he was allegedly choked, beaten, and forced to drink toilet water after being diagnosed with schizoaffective and bipolar disorders. Cullors came out as queer at sixteen and was forced from her home; she was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness but later grew disillusioned with the church and incorporated rituals from the Nigerian tradition of Ifá into her protests. She earned a degree in religion and philosophy from UCLA and an MFA from USC’s Roski School of Art and Design, and has taught at Otis College and Prescott College.
Reader's Guide
Her creation of the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag helped galvanize a new wave of activism against police violence and racial injustice. Cullors has been the most publicly visible co-founder, especially after Garza and Tometi stepped back from regular involvement. Her activism extends to prison abolition in Los Angeles and LGBTQ rights, and she integrates critical theory into her work. Cullors has taught at Otis College of Art and Design and Prescott College. She became an activist as a teenager, joining the Bus Riders Union and attending a year-long organizing program where she learned about revolutionaries and social movements. Her brother’s brutalization in jail and her own childhood experiences with police—including witnessing her brothers slammed into a wall and being arrested at twelve—fueled her advocacy. Cullors has written and spoken widely about the movement, crediting social media with revealing violence against African Americans. She has faced criticism for her personal spending and handling of Black Lives Matter funding. Her legacy includes shaping contemporary racial justice movements and advocating for systemic change, though her resignation from the foundation in 2021 marked a shift in her public role.
Did You Know?
- She was arrested at age 12 for smoking marijuana.
- Her brother Monte's brutalization in jail was a key reason for her activism.
- She resigned as executive director of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation in May 2021.
Frequently Asked Questions
What causes does Patrisse Cullors advocate for?
Her activism spans racial justice, prison abolition, and LGBTQ rights. She also draws on critical theory to frame her arguments and public speaking.
Why is Patrisse Cullors important in modern activism?
As a co-founder of one of the most influential social justice movements of the 21st century, she helped shape how discussions around police violence and systemic racism are framed worldwide. She continues to write, speak, and organize around abolition and equity.
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