AN ABOLITIONIST’S HANDBOOK by Patrisse Cullors - Self 'Black Lives Matter Cofounder Patrisse Cullors: Social Justice Starts With Self-Care'

Self | January 25, 2022

Patrisse Cullors was effecting change in her hometown of Los Angeles long before she became internationally known as a Black Lives Matter cofounder. As an L.A. native, Cullors led multiple nonprofit organizations, including Dignity and Power Now, JusticeLA, and Reform L.A. Jails. In 2013 she and fellow organizers Alicia Garza and Ayọ Tometi created the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag after George Zimmerman was acquitted on all charges for the killing of Black teenager Trayvon Martin. In 2014, as protests spread across the U.S. in the wake of the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown, the movement became the international campaign we know today.

In 2020, Cullors was named one of TIME’s 100 most influential people and inked an overall production deal with Warner Bros. Studios. Last year she was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. Her latest book, An Abolitionist’s Handbook: 12 Steps to Changing Yourself and the World (out January 25), leans on her 20-plus years as an activist and organizer to offer sage advice for fellow changemakers.

Here, the 38-year-old activist shares some inspiring, practical advice with SELF on how to make a difference in the world—by starting with ourselves.

Follow the link above to learn more.