Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza blessed the 2017 graduates of San Fransisco State with a moving speech solely dedicated to black women’s power, persistence and overall magic. 

The activist, who received her masters in Ethnic Studies from SFSU, opened her speech by paying homage to the resilience of her mother.

“If it not for that black woman getting pregnant with me and not being quite sure how she was going to do it, but she did it anyway. Yes. She persisted. Because that is what black women do. And if it wasn’t for that black woman teaching me to do the same, I would not be here today.” 

She later dropped some fun facts on the audience that should never be forgotten, during this administration, or ever.  

“Were it not for black women, there would be no Underground Railroad, no one to campaign against black bodies swinging from trees like strange fruit, there would be no protest songs like the ones that came from the toes through the womb up through the lungs and out of the brilliant mind and mouth of Nina Simone. There would be no black women voting like the 96% of us who did vote and said hell no to this administration. There would be NO America. If there were not black women. “

*(the speaker on the far left is here for it all) 

Ultimately, Garza reminds us that the historic and daily acts of perseverance coupled with the indomitable spirit that exemplifies black women has affected all lives and contributions. To whom, we all owe a debt.

““We, I, you and me— we owe everything to black women,” she said. “Yes— all lives, all contributions. But this— this is bigger than all that. This is about black women, cisgender, transgender, no gender, disabled, queer, immigrant black women who time and time again keep trying to tell y’all and more than that… keep showing y’all. We are magic.”

We agree 100 percent.