Patrisse Cullors: Black Lives…

I’ve included Patrisse in this series because often the struggles of black lives and the struggles of queer people intersect and often do (Langston Hughes, James Baldwin and Audre Lorde come to mind) but also the movement that she helped found and build along with the movement she co-founded: Black Lives Matter.

I had a chance to meet Patrisse when she was on her book tour for her memoir When They Call You A Terrorist and had a chance to listen her in a Q and A session and a quick meet for lunch the following day. Not only did it bring what I heard about Black Lives Matter into sharp focus, but it became vastly more real.

Reading the memoir, I came to understand this was someone I could understand a lot more than I thought. I may have been more privileged to come out in my late 20s on my own terms, but the pain still seared deeply in my heart.

Also the police brutality of her brother Monte reminded me how vulnerable disabled people are of all types, be it invisible or visible. It made me investigate the many incidents of black people dying in custody in the UK.

I mostly learned through her memoir of a lot of soul searching for identity, finding out about family and her education was surrounded by mentors who helped her grow into the person she is today. After all the struggle, Black Lives Matter has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize which is a proud moment but the marathon continues.

Aquila Hope is a transformative coach, black trans activist, speaker, podcaster and songwriter. They’re found through Instagram, Twitter, Medium and their own website. Their podcast ‘Grasp At The Root’ can be found on Anchor, Spotify, Google Podcast, Apple Podcasts or wherever podcasts are distributed. Aquila lives on the outskirts of Birmingham, enjoys expressionist art, video games, strong coffee and a well made pizza.