Like Martin Luther King Jr., Alicia Garza also has a dream.
“In my dream, we would live in a world where all of us are valued, respected, able to hold our heads up high, proud of ourselves for what we accomplished together,” Garza said. “In my dream, we would live in a world where our humanity is guaranteed.”
Garza, the keynote speaker for the University of Idaho”s Martin Luther King Jr. celebration, addressed a packed crowd on the fourth floor of the Idaho Commons Friday.
A co-creator of the Black Lives Matter movement, Garza”s speech focused on the roots of her passion for social justice and the fight against inequality.
“The first thing I think is important to know about Black Lives Matter is that it is in and of itself a love letter,” she said. “It is a powerful declaration of how deeply, deeply I love my people.”
Garza said the movement was partially inspired by the death of Trayvon Martin in 2012. She said the incident stood out to her not only because of the act of violence, but because of the reactions it spurred from people online.
Alex Brizee | Argonaut
Alicia Garza, a co-creator of the Black Lives Matter movement, speaks to University of Idaho students Friday in the Summit Room of the Idaho Commons. Garza addressed the issues of Trayvon Martin, Martin Luther King, Jr. and why black lives really do matter.
“I”m not sure that there”s anything more egregious than taking the life of a child,” Garza said.
As the trial went on, Garza said it drew her attention even more because she said it seemed to be more of a trial on Martin than on the accused George Zimmerman. Garza said she watched fascinated as questions arose about what Martin did to provoke Zimmerman to fatally shoot him, or what Martin”s parents had done wrong in raising him.
When the jury announced that they found Zimmerman to be not guilty, Garza was with her friends in an Oakland bar. She said they had discussed what the result would be as they waited for the announcement, debating the sentence Zimmerman would receive, but no one considered that there would be no sentencing at all.
“The entire place went quiet,” she said. “And when it did and I looked around, almost as if I was in a dream, and what I saw was everyone trying to grapple with what had just happened.”
Frustrated and confused by the jury”s decision, Garza said she went to social media for a way to understand, but was disappointed by the reactions of others. This led Garza to make a post of her own on Facebook.
“I got really upset,” Garza said. “I was like, “Really? That”s what we”re saying? Trayvon was murdered because he was wearing a hoodie? Or was Trayvon killed because there is a fear of black people that is irrational, without merit?””
Friends of Garza shared her post and were inspired to create social media pages and draw support. Eventually, the Black Lives Matter movement was born. Garza said it has since expanded across the U.S., but has stirred up a fair share of controversy.
Garza addressed some of the main arguments against the Black Lives Matter movement, such as that Black Lives Matter advocates for violence. Garza said that simply isn”t true.
“I”ve never been in a fight in my life,” she said. “I don”t advocate violence, and I don”t glorify it either. I love life. I can”t imagine taking a life and I would never advocate for anybody else to take a life, especially when my people live in fear every day that our lives will be taken.”
Garza also addressed the rebuttal hashtag, All Lives Matter. She said if she didn”t believe that all lives mattered she wouldn”t be doing what she does now, but she doesn”t believe the world we live in is one where all lives matter to everyone. She said anyone who says otherwise simply isn”t telling the truth.
“If we believe that all lives matter, then we”re going to fight like hell for the lives that don”t currently matter so we can get to the place where all lives matter,” Garza said.
Garza also had a response for those who claim Martin Luther King Jr. wouldn”t approve of Black Lives Matter.
“Well we don”t know because he was killed because somebody didn”t approve of what he was doing,” she said.
She said many stories told about Martin Luther King Jr. now aren”t entirely accurate and are retold by people who seek to rewrite history to serve their own interests. Garza gave an example of the perception that Martin Luther King Jr. was a passive leader when in fact she said he was a radical one. Garza said Martin Luther King Jr. called the entire system of society into question at the time, and today”s society needs people to do the same now.
“This is not a time to sit on the sidelines,” Garza said.
Erin Bamer can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @ErinBamer