Angela Davis:
Once on the FBI’s most wanted list, it was actually Angela Davis’ own time in prison that had her imagining futures without policing.
Davis took her reimaginings and founded Critical Resistance, an organization still fighting to abolish the prison-industrial complex.
Marsha P. Johnson:
Marsha “Pay it no Mind” Johnson was always smiling, rocking her flower crown, and fighting tirelessly for LGBTQ+ rights. She imagined the world she wanted for Black queer people and created it to the best of her ability.
She co-founded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries, which provided shelter to young transgender individuals in need.
MLK:
MLK had a dream but it wasn’t solely the dream he shared in his famous speech. He wanted us to believe that freedom is possible. He filled his speeches with messaging that inspired us to imagine getting to the “Mountain top.”
MLKs dream is now 60 years-old, but it still hasn’t been fulfilled.
Is a new dream needed? Should it still draw from MLKs or other revolutionaries? Let’s imagine what it could look like.
Our revolutions and forms of resistance all originated from leaders with clear understandings that Black liberation is possible, but only if WE shape it.
Our imaginations are the blueprint but our action steps will determine which direction towards liberation we’ll move.