Activists Rise Up!

I recently had the powerful opportunity to sit in a room filled with Black women activists, leaders, and entrepreneurs to discuss how we come together in politically divisive times, how we resist the dismantling of our rights, and boldly signal our commitment to keep pushing forward.

Any chance I get to gather with activists on the front lines of social justice, I’m in.

This was my second time meeting Tamika Mallory, movement strategist, social justice leader, and now author of I Lived to Tell the Story. Her book traces her journey from a Harlem-born daughter of deeply rooted Black power parents to becoming one of the defining activist voices of our time. She is a force. Not just because she is fearless, but because she is disciplined, strategic, and grounded in legacy.

What struck me most is that she is not doing this work alone. Surrounding her were mentors and powerhouses in their own right, Cora Masters, Melanie Campbell, and Monica Ray. As Cora said with a smile, “Google us.” And you should. These are women who have stood firm, guiding, protecting, and strengthening leadership within the movement, even when opposition comes from unexpected places.

Meanwhile, Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities, LGBTQ+ individuals, and women are standing at a critical crossroads in this country. Rights that took generations to secure are being rolled back under the language of “equality for all.” Sit with that for a moment.

Black Americans gained full civil rights protections barely 60 years ago. The disparities we see today, in homeownership, educational access, healthcare outcomes, and economic mobility, did not happen by accident. They are the result of systemic barriers that excluded us for decades. And now, policies designed to close those gaps are being questioned, diluted, or dismantled.

So what do we do?

We organize. We educate. We use our voices. We examine where we spend our dollars. We pay attention to companies quietly rolling back DEI commitments to align with shifting political winds. Consumer power matters. Collective action matters.

Silence is not an option.

This is the work that gets me out of bed every morning, engaging communities, strengthening strategy, and raising our collective activist voice. We will not sit back while rights are eroded, history is minimized, or futures are compromised.

Let’s do this work together. Let’s collab!