Adweek Interviews the 3 Women Who Founded Black Lives Matter—and Started a Global Movement

Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi take us back to the beginning, and reflect on the work ahead

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In a year filled with unforgettable moments, there’s one in particular that stands out for Patrisse Cullors. On June 7, after more than a week of global protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death, an estimated 100,000 people marched in Los Angeles. Aerial shots of the demonstration, which was organized by Black Lives Matter’s L.A. division, pictured a sea of protesters taking over Hollywood Boulevard. “I think that was the largest Black Lives Matter protest in the history of Los Angeles,” says Cullors, one of the three original co-founders of BLM, “and the footage is just gorgeous.”

For Cullors and her fellow BLM co-founders—Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi—this moment had been a long time coming.

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This story first appeared in the Aug. 31, 2020, issue of Adweek magazine. Click here to subscribe.