When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir

by Patrisse Cullors

After Ferguson, when we speak of ourselves, we always lead with this, that not only are we unapologetically Black, a term coined by BYP100, but we are also Queer- and Trans-led and non-patriarchal. We work with Lourdes Ashley Hunter, who is the national director for the Trans Women of Color Collective. We also work with Elle Hearnes, who is now the executive director of the Marsha P. Johnson Institute. Black Lives Matter is pushed to follow the leadership of Black Transwomen. Sometimes we fail and sometimes we succeed. After Ferguson, we affirm that we must always have an evolving political framework, that Black people are evolving so our work—and each of us—must be evolving, too.