Using social media instead of flyers, hashtags instead of slogans, Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi galvanized a new civil rights movement: #BlackLivesMatter. These two queer women and the daughter of Nigerian immigrants founded the now transnational movement that “is working for a world where Black lives are no longer systematically and intentionally targeted for demise. We affirm our contributions to this society, our humanity, and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression. We have put our sweat equity and love for Black people into creating a political project–taking the hashtag off of social media and into the streets.”

Whether you agree with their ideologies or tactics of civil disobedience or not, the fact remains, these women are some of the most powerful figures in today’s civil rights movement.