ACCENT Speakers Bureau is partnering with Black Student Union and Pride Student Union to bring the three co-founders of #BlackLivesMatter, Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi, to UF through a virtual conversation.

The show will take place Thursday, June 25th at 6:30 p.m. via Microsoft Teams. Anyone with a valid UFL.edu email address can register to receive a link to watch the show, which can be accessed at http://bit.ly/BLMatUF.

Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi, created the viral Twitter hashtag #BlackLivesMatter and the Black Lives Matter Global Network, a global organizing project to end state violence and oppression against Black people. The Black Lives Matter Global Network now has 40 chapters in 4 countries.

Patrisse Cullors is a social activist, best-selling author, and widely recognized public speaker. She is the Founder of the Los Angeles-based grassroots organization Dignity and Power Now. For the last 20 years, Cullors has been on the front lines of criminal justice reform and led Reform LA Jails’ “Yes on R” campaign, a ballot initiative that passed by a 71% landslide victory in March 2020. As an artist Patrisse has directed and produced world renowned theater, performance pieces and docu-series. Patrisse is currently the Faculty Director at Arizona’s Prescott College of a new Social and Environmental Arts Practice MFA program that she has developed, the first of its kind in the nation to focus a curriculum on the intersection of art, social justice and community organizing.

Alicia Garza is an internationally recognized organizer, writer, and public speaker. In 2018, Alicia founded the Black Futures Lab, an organization that designs new ways to build Black political power in cities and states. Alicia’s writing has been published in Time, Mic, Marie Claire, The Guardian, Elle.com, Essence Magazine, and The New York Times. Alicia has an MA in Ethnic Studies from San Francisco State University and a BA in Anthropology and Sociology from the University of California, San Diego. She lives and works in Oakland, California.

Opal Tometi is a globally recognized human rights advocate, strategist and writer of Nigerian-American descent. She has been active in social movements for over 15 years, and is known for her years of service as the Executive Director of the United States first national immigrant rights organization for people of African descent – the Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI). An international thought leader, Opal notably, addressed the United Nations General Assembly, a privilege only a few US social justice leaders have been afforded. She’s appeared on CNN, MSNBC, BET and her writings have been published in popular outlets such as TIME, InStyle Magazine, Seventeen and the Huffington Post.

ACCENT Speakers Bureau is the nation’s largest student-run speakers bureau and is celebrating fifty-three years of bringing prominent, influential and controversial individuals to inspire, engage and enlighten the University of Florida community. For more information about the organization, visit www.facebook.com/accentspeakers or contact ACCENT Chairman Steven Wolf at accent@sg.ufl.edu.