Labeled A 'Terrorist ' A Black Lives Matter Founder Writes Her Record : NPR
Patrisse Khan-Cullors
It's easy to forget that a phrase that has become so ubiquitous came about just a few years ago in 2013  by the efforts of three women: Alicia Garza  Opal Tometi and Patrisse Khan-Cullors. Their hashtag became an organizing tool to express their frustration  anger and pain over the violent deaths of unarmed black children and adults.
 Khan-Cullors  remembers when  she  first realized the power of the three words.
"I was watching  this young black woman  stand in front of a tank in Ferguson with a Black Lives Matter sign "  she  says. "I said  'How did this get to Ferguson? Oh  like  this is now in the public imagination.' Folks don't even know where it came from  but they're using it  and they're understanding how important it is. And  she  was  this thin woman  —  she  had the sign  and  she  was yelling into that camera  like  'Look at this  look what's behind me. Where are we? We're in Ferguson  and there's a tank on the street.' And it was this very  very powerful  visceral moment for me."
Patrisse Khan-Cullors describes how all this came about in a new book  When They Call You A Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir  co-written with journalist asha bandele. We spoke at NPR headquarters in Washington  D.C.
It's easy to forget that a phrase that has become so ubiquitous came about just a few years ago in 2013  by the efforts of three women: Alicia Garza  [TGT]. [TGT] hashtag became an organizing tool to express their frustration  anger and pain over the violent deaths of unarmed black children and adults.
 Khan-Cullors  remembers when  she  first realized the power of the three words.
"I was watching  this young black woman  stand in front of a tank in Ferguson with a Black Lives Matter sign "  she  says. "I said  'How did this get to Ferguson? Oh  like  this is now in the public imagination.' Folks don't even know where it came from  but they're using it  and they're understanding how important it is. And  she  was  this thin woman  —  she  had the sign  and  she  was yelling into that camera  like  'Look at this  look what's behind me. Where are we? We're in Ferguson  and there's a tank on the street.' And it was this very  very powerful  visceral moment for me."
Patrisse Khan-Cullors describes how all this came about in a new book  When They Call You A Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir  co-written with journalist asha bandele. We spoke at NPR headquarters in Washington  D.C.