Opal Tometi, the daughter of Nigerian immigrants, built early organising experience focused on immigrant rights and racial justice, bringing a distinct perspective on the intersection of immigration and Black liberation to her later movement work.
In 2013, following George Zimmerman's acquittal, Tometi joined Alicia Garza and Patrisse Cullors in co-founding Black Lives Matter, contributing critical digital strategy and organisational expertise that helped build the movement's online and offline infrastructure.
Tometi's background in immigrant rights organising brought a distinctly intersectional perspective to Black Lives Matter's early development, emphasising connections between anti-Black racism and immigration policy that shaped the movement's broader analytical framework.
Tometi has continued significant activism work beyond Black Lives Matter, focusing particularly on the intersection of Black and immigrant liberation movements, and remains a significant voice connecting racial justice organising across these overlapping communities.
- Co-founded Black Lives Matter (2013), one of the most significant social justice movements of the 21st century
- Brought critical digital strategy and organisational expertise to the movement's founding
- Contributed an intersectional perspective connecting anti-Black racism and immigration policy
- Built sustained organising work at the intersection of Black and immigrant liberation movements
- Recognised as one of the most influential contemporary American activists
- Diverse organising backgrounds strengthen a movement's analytical depth. Her immigrant rights experience broadened Black Lives Matter's intersectional framework.
- Digital strategy is essential to modern movement infrastructure. Her contributions helped translate a hashtag into sustained organisational capacity.
- Personal background can shape a movement's broader political vision. Her heritage as the child of Nigerian immigrants informed her intersectional organising approach.
- Collaborative founding brings complementary expertise together. The shared co-founding with Garza and Cullors combined distinct organising strengths.