#equality for her

[ithasoul]

Blair Imani EqualityforHER.

[equalityforher]

Amandla Stenberg

Amandla is a nonbinary African-American and Danish-American activist, actor and singer. Amandla is known for their acting prowess in films and performances such as, Colombiana (2011),  The Hunger Games (2012),  Sleepy Hollow (2013), As You Are (2016), and Beyoncé: Lemonade (2016).

Amandla Stenberg was born on October 23, 1998 in Los Angeles, California to parents Karen Brailsford and Tom Stenberg. Amandla's name means power and strength in Zulu and Xhosa. At the age of four, Amandla made their public debut when they were featured in a Disney catalog and went on to star in numerous commercials for brands including McDonald's and Walmart.

Amandla made a transition into film in 2010 when they began filming the action-thriller Colombiana (2011). Since then they have demonstrated an innate ability to capture the hearts of viewers worldwide. For their role as Rue in The Hunger Games (2012), Amandla was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture. Amandla is also a talented musician and can play the violin, drums and guitar. In 2013 Amandla began performing violin and singing at venues across Los Angeles. Later the same year, they dropped their self titled EP.

Amandla Stenberg is a voice for young, Black, and LGBT millennials. Amandla is passionate about fair and diverse representation evidenced by their viral video “Don’t Cash Crop My Cornrows” which unpacked the baggage of cultural appropriation. Amandla was invited to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Foundation to participate in the dedication ceremony where they paid tribute to the four young girls who were killed in the tragic Birmingham church bombing. Amandla is one of the most brilliant and outspoken actors of their generation. They take a multimedia approach to activism using film, social media, and music to bring more diversity in media, to build safer spaces, and to create more political agency for all people.

Dazed Magazine called Amandla Stenberg “one of the most incendiary voices of [their] generation.” Time Magazine named Amandla one of the 30 Most Influential Teens of 2015 and again in 2016. They have been interviewed by Solange Knowles for Teen Vogue and have been deemed an "icon of change" by ELLE UK. Oprah Winfrey recognized Amandla's work and invited them to talk about authenticity in activism for Super Soul Sunday. Amandla is also the recipient of the BET Awards’ Young Stars Award. They have also been named Feminist Celebrity of the Year by the Ms. Foundation for Women. Amandla is a youth ambassador for No Kid Hungry and supports the Ubuntu Education Fund.

[equalityforher]

Did you get a chance to enjoy our Femme’s & Women’s History Month Series this March? If not, don’t worry! 

Check it out now on our website featuring over 30 Femmes and Women from unique and diverse backgrounds across a myriad of career fields. All of the artwork is by the amazing Monique Le. 

Stay tuned to @equalityforher for our forthcoming book based on the series!

[equalityforher]

Mari Copeny

Mari Copeny, known as Little Miss Flint on social media, is an African-American environmental activist and youth leader from Flint, Michigan. Mari is known for her continued efforts in shedding light on the corruption and abuse that has led to the crisis in her hometown.

Born on July 6, 2007 to mother Lulu Brezzell, Mari will be 10 years old this year and her young age has not prevented her from making a significant impact on the dialogue around environmental racism. In May of 2016, at the age of 8 years old, Mari wrote a letter to President Barack Obama challenging him to visit Flint, Michigan to see the crisis first hand. The letter was published in the Los Angeles Times and confronted the entire country with the reality faced by victims of state negligence. Her activism has led her to meet President Obama and President Trump.

In 2017, Mari continued her dedication to justice by becoming a Youth Ambassador to Women's March on Washington Youth, National Climate March, and Equality for HER’s Youth Leadership Initiative. Her youthful honesty prevents political leaders from being able to ignore the consequences of neglectful leadership. In an interview with Teen Vogue, Mari stated: “There’s lead damage in the water because of the pipes,” and “The water gives us bad rashes.” In the interview she reveals that the water coming from the faucets within her home smell of, “fish and feet and corn chips and bleach.” She gives voice to the unheard hardships of Americans trapped by a collapsing and toxic infrastructure. She has taken her voice all the way to the front door of the White House to hold President 45 accountable for breaking his promise to Flint.

Mari Copeny has been featured in Teen Vogue, The Guardian, VICE, TIME, Refinery 29, The Washington Post, NBC News, Rewire, Buzzfeed, and more for her vocal opposition to the injustices of environmental racism. Mari’s mentors include Tabitha St. Bernard-Jacobs, Linda Sarsour, Carmen Perez, Tamika Mallory, and Bob Bland (the Women’s March co-chairs), Blair Imani, Bernice King, John Lewis, and Former President Obama. Mari is inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

At the time of this piece’s publishing, Flint, Michigan has been without clean water for 1,102 activists like Mari Copeny will continue to bring awareness about this injustice until all of America’s children have clean, drinkable water.

[equalityforher]

Ibtihaj Muhammad

Ibtihaj Muhammad is a Black American Muslim athlete, Olympic medalist, activist, and founder of LOUELLA. In 2016, Ibtihaj broke down barriers by being her authentic self and veiling or observing hijab, during the Rio Olympics. Her unique voice continues to shed light on the experiences of Black Muslims in the United States.

[equalityforher]

Opal Tometi

Opal Tometi is a New York based Nigerian-American writer, strategist, community organizer and Co-founder of #BlackLivesMatter. Tometi is the Executive Director of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration and works with the Pan African Network in Defense of Migrant Rights, and the Black Immigration Network (BIN).

Opal Tometi was born in 1984 in Phoenix, AZ. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in History and a Masters degree in Communication and Advocacy from the University of Arizona. In addition to her transnational organizing work Opal works with communities in Los Angeles, Phoenix, New York City, Oakland, Washington, D.C. and throughout the Southern states. Tometi has strategized and organized grassroots efforts against the anti-immigrant law SB1070 in Arizona, and has also been a caseworker for survivors of domestic violence.

In addition to being honored by Essence Magazine and the Los Angeles Times, Opal is featured in the Smithsonian’s new National Museum for African American History and Culture.

In 2016, in recognition of their contribution human rights, Opal Tometi and the #BlackLivesMatter co-founders received an honorary doctorate degree,  BET’s Black Girls Rock Community Change Agent Award , recognition among the world’s fifty greatest leaders by Fortune and POLITICO magazines, and the first ever Social Movement of The Year Award from the Webbys.

#BLACKLIVESMATTER

#BlackLivesMatter was created in 2013 after Trayvon Martin’s murderer, George Zimmerman, was acquitted for his crime, and dead 17-year old Trayvon was posthumously placed on trial for his own murder. The Official #BlackLivesMatter Organization was founded by Patrisse Cullors, Opal Tometi, and Alicia Garza. #BlackLivesMatter is an online forum intended to build connections between Black people and their allies to fight anti-Black racism, to spark dialogue among Black people, and to facilitate the types of connections necessary to encourage social action and engagement. #BlackLivesMatter has become the most important movement in recent history.

[equalityforher]

Patrisse Cullors

Patrisse Cullors is an American organizer, artist, co-founder of Black Lives Matter, and founder of Dignity & Power Now. Patrisse is currently touring cities with her multimedia performance art piece POWER: From the Mouths of the Occupied.

Born in Los Angeles, Patrisse Cullors has had a lifelong commitment to community organizing and creative inn. At 22-years-old Patrisse was recognized for her work as a transformative organizer by receiving the Mario Savio Young Activist Award. She has served as the Executive Director of the Coalition to End Sheriff Violence in L.A. Jails, co-founded a prison activism organization Dignity and Power Now, and serves on the board of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights. Patrisse earned a degree in Religion and Philosophy from UCLA, and now teaches at the Otis College of Art and Design.

Patrisse was named as a civil rights leader of the 21st century by Los Angeles Times and was honored as Glamour Magazine’s 2016 Woman of the Year. Cullors is an NAACP History Maker and is a Fulbright scholar. Patrisse has earned a host of honorary designations from Chicago’s South Shore International College Preparatory High School, Clarkson University and other academic institutions.  

Cullors' organizing is deeply influenced by her own life experiences - her own brother was brutalized during his time in the prison system, and she is a queer woman who was raised in the Jehovah's’ Witnesses church and was forced from her own home when she came out to her parents at 16.Patrisse considers herself an organizer, rather than an activist, because her interest lies in mobilizing people on the ground, and building strength and coalitions from the ground up.

#BLACKLIVESMATTER

#BlackLivesMatter was created in 2013 after Trayvon Martin’s murderer, George Zimmerman, was acquitted for his crime, and dead 17-year old Trayvon was posthumously placed on trial for his own murder. The Official #BlackLivesMatter Organization was founded by Patrisse Cullors, Opal Tometi, and Alicia Garza. #BlackLivesMatter is an online forum intended to build connections between Black people and their allies to fight anti-Black racism, to spark dialogue among Black people, and to facilitate the types of connections necessary to encourage social action and engagement. #BlackLivesMatter has become the most important movement in recent history.

[equalityforher]

Linda Sarsour

Linda Sarsour is a Palestinian American Muslim activist, mother of three, and selfless mentor to many aspiring creators of change. Sarsour is the Executive Director of the Arab American Association of New York and co-founder of the first Muslim online organizing platform, MPOWER Change. In 2016, Linda Sarsour also became the National Co-Chair of the immensely successful and transformative Women’s March on Washington.

Born and raised Brooklyn, NY, Linda is the eldest child in her family and has 2 brothers and 4 sisters. Linda is well respected amongst diverse communities in both in New York City and nationally.  

Linda has been at the forefront of major civil rights campaigns including calling for an end to unwarranted surveillance of New York’s Muslim communities and ending police policies like stop and frisk. She is a member of the Justice League NYC, a leading NYC force of activists, formerly incarcerated individuals, and artists working to reform the New York Police Department and the criminal justice system. She has received numerous awards and honors including “Champion of Change” by the White House, YWCA USA’s Women of Distinction Award for Advocacy and Civic Engagement and the Hala Maksoud Leadership Award from the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. Linda Sarsour’s dedication to intersectional and interfaith advocacy makes her a truly notable activist.