--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The reason that I started the Black…" description: "\"The reason that I started the Black Futures Lab is because I have some clarity about what I think needs to happen in relationship to electoral organizi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb8/alicia-garza-8065_destination_the-reason-that-i-started-the-black-futu_630441.jpg" --- # The reason that I started the Black Futures Lab is because… ![“The reason that I started the Black Futures Lab is because I have some clarity about what I think needs to happen in relationship to electoral organizing. It's not a destination. It is a set of tools that we use to engage people that we care about, en masse, around issues that are important to us.” quote by Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb8/alicia-garza-8065_destination_the-reason-that-i-started-the-black-futu_630441.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb8/alicia-garza-8065_destination_the-reason-that-i-started-the-black-futu_630441.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb8/alicia-garza-8065_destination_the-reason-that-i-started-the-black-futu_630441.jpg) > “The reason that I started the Black Futures Lab is because I have some clarity about what I think needs to happen in relationship to electoral organizing. It's not a destination. It is a set of tools that we use to engage people that we care about, en masse, around issues that are important to us.” [Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She views electoral organizing as a toolkit for mass engagement, not a final goal. **In simple terms:** Organizing is a set of tools for collective action. Key Takeaway Use tools, not destinations, to mobilize. Themes political activism community building strategic planning Mood determined hopeful Type strategic inspirational When to use this quote - campaign planning - voter outreach - community forums - digital organizing Key Concepts electoral strategy collective empowerment grassroots mobilization Questions to Reflect On - What tools best foster genuine community involvement? - How do you measure success beyond numbers? A Different Perspective Tools alone can't guarantee participation without trust. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Black Futures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-futures-5082902/) [Destination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destination/) [Electoral Organizing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/electoral-organizing-5082903/) [Engage People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engage-people/) [Futures Lab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/futures-lab-5082904/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Reason Started](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason-started-3881155/) [Relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationship/) [Us](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/us/) ## Related quotes > [Def Jam is the reason why I started a label.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-p/def-jam-is-the-reason-why-i-started-a-label/) [El-P](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-p/) > [The reason we started the Driver Era is just 'cause our creative endeavors sort of demanded it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-lynch/the-reason-we-started-the-driver-era-is-just-cause-our-creative/) [Ross Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-lynch/) > [We were always broke and always complaining about something and music came and gave us a reason. That's why we started Sepultura.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-cavalera/we-were-always-broke-and-always-complaining-about-something-and-music/) [Max Cavalera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-cavalera/) > [I don't care what the reason is, or who started what. It doesn't matter. Physical violence should never be the answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-bailey/i-don-t-care-what-the-reason-is-or-who-started-what-it-doesn-t-matter/) [Cynthia Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-bailey/) > [Try to remember the reason you started riding a motorcycle in the first place. For me, it was a couple of things but mostly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-barger/try-to-remember-the-reason-you-started-riding-a-motorcycle-in-the/) [Sonny Barger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-barger/) > [If you engage people honestly, and you're willing to do the leg work, people will respond to that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-gonzalez/if-you-engage-people-honestly-and-you-re-willing-to-do-the-leg-work/) [Matt Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-gonzalez/) > [I need to be in touch with the people. You've got to look in their eyes, and you've got to feel what they feel.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecil-williams/i-need-to-be-in-touch-with-the-people-you-ve-got-to-look-in-their/) [Cecil Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecil-williams/) > [We're very concerned with language and how language works. We're trying to engage people rather than dictate how they should be thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neville-brody/we-re-very-concerned-with-language-and-how-language-works-we-re/) [Neville Brody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neville-brody/) > [I was able to excite and engage people who previously hadn't been involved in politics, and part of the reason that I was able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-was-able-to-excite-and-engage-people-who-previously-hadn-t-been/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I'm an academic. I argue; I engage with people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/i-m-an-academic-i-argue-i-engage-with-people/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [The more we engage with others, the more we find people with whom we do not share the values and truths that we consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-gardiner/the-more-we-engage-with-others-the-more-we-find-people-with-whom-we/) [Barry Gardiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-gardiner/) > [It's nice to engage with the people that support you so much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rozonda-thomas/it-s-nice-to-engage-with-the-people-that-support-you-so-much/) [Rozonda Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rozonda-thomas/) > [Engage people with what they expect; it is what they are able to discern and confirms their projections. It settles them into predictable patterns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/engage-people-with-what-they-expect-it-is-what-they-are-able-to/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [I'm not saying I have to write a book that's ten times better than my counterparts, but I do think that I have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-m-not-saying-i-have-to-write-a-book-that-s-ten-times-better-than-my/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [ \[It's\] difficult to engage people in politics when they believe that what really matters is where they personally stand. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-krastev/it-s-difficult-to-engage-people-in-politics-when-they-believe-that/) [Ivan Krastev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-krastev/) ## More by Alicia Garza > [What is it going to take to dismantle the systems that keep me from being able to live well and that keep me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/what-is-it-going-to-take-to-dismantle-the-systems-that-keep-me-from/) [Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/) > [Black Lives Matter started from a post that I put on Facebook after the acquittal of George Zimmerman. I woke up in the middle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/black-lives-matter-started-from-a-post-that-i-put-on-facebook-after/) [Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/) > [Police violence is the tip of the iceberg when it relates to the conditions overall of black people across the globe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/police-violence-is-the-tip-of-the-iceberg-when-it-relates-to-the/) [Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/) > [Certainly, we have to make sure our police forces do not have weapons of mass destruction with which they can terrorize our communities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/certainly-we-have-to-make-sure-our-police-forces-do-not-have-weapons/) [Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/) > [People think that we're engaged with identity politics. The truth is that we're doing what the labor movement has always done - organizing people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/people-think-that-we-re-engaged-with-identity-politics-the-truth-is/) [Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/) > [The history of black women in the economy is rooted in the legacy of slavery. Enslaved black women were forced to provide care work,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/the-history-of-black-women-in-the-economy-is-rooted-in-the-legacy-of/) [Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/) > [I think that there is an element where leadership is lonely, but I also believe that it doesn't have to be like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/i-think-that-there-is-an-element-where-leadership-is-lonely-but-i/) [Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/) > [The night that George Zimmerman was acquitted, I think, for black people all over the world, there was a collective feeling of incredible grief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/the-night-that-george-zimmerman-was-acquitted-i-think-for-black/) [Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/) > [We need to make sure we're creating spaces to create new leaders and new types of leadership.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/we-need-to-make-sure-we-re-creating-spaces-to-create-new-leaders-and/) [Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/) > [I have a lot of respect for President Obama, and while I deeply disagree with some of his actions or lack of action on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/i-have-a-lot-of-respect-for-president-obama-and-while-i-deeply/) [Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/) > ['Socialism' became this weird household word partially because right-wingers call Obama a socialist, which he is the farthest from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/socialism-became-this-weird-household-word-partially-because-right/) [Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/) > [I'll be honest with you: I think that it's really difficult, this framing around 'good cops' and 'bad cops.' Policing, as a system, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/i-ll-be-honest-with-you-i-think-that-it-s-really-difficult-this/) [Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/) > [Every successful social movement in this country's history has used disruption as a strategy to fight for social change. Whether it was the Boston…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/every-successful-social-movement-in-this-country-s-history-has-used/) [Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/) > [The reality is that race in the United States operates on a spectrum from black to white. Doesn't mean that people who are in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/the-reality-is-that-race-in-the-united-states-operates-on-a-spectrum/) [Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/) > [I need to create an environment where I can be my best self, and that means being unapologetic about saying no to things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/i-need-to-create-an-environment-where-i-can-be-my-best-self-and-that/) [Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/) [Explore all 84 Alicia Garza quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/) ## More Destination quotes > [It is a sweet thing that we serve a dissatisfied God who has destinations in mind for us that we would never choose for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-david-tripp/it-is-a-sweet-thing-that-we-serve-a-dissatisfied-god-who-has/) [Paul David Tripp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-david-tripp/) > [Loving yourself is a journey, not a destination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-holliday/loving-yourself-is-a-journey-not-a-destination/) [Tess Holliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-holliday/) > [Love is a voyage,not a destination ! <3](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-a-voyage-not-a-destination-3/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [And also I think the rise of other, you could say, destinations for international jihadis mean that Pakistan isn't necessarily the place where people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/and-also-i-think-the-rise-of-other-you-could-say-destinations-for/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [“The final destination is death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-final-destination-is-death/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [It was often this way, life consisted of a series of false beginnings, bluff declarations of arrival to destinations not even glimpsed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/it-was-often-this-way-life-consisted-of-a-series-of-false-beginnings/) [Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/) > [India should emerge as a destination that attracts people to invest here, which, in turn, will give a boost to investment, industrial growth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-thakur/india-should-emerge-as-a-destination-that-attracts-people-to-invest/) [Anurag Thakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-thakur/) > [Do you want to make progress? If so, then take each problem not as a challenging rival, but as an encouraging friend of yours,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-chinmoy/do-you-want-to-make-progress-if-so-then-take-each-problem-not-as-a/) [Sri Chinmoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-chinmoy/) > [We make a lot of detours, but we're always heading for the same destination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/we-make-a-lot-of-detours-but-we-re-always-heading-for-the-same/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“As you travel along the roads in life, there is a certain kind of peace that comes with knowing you're on the right path.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amaka-nkosazana/as-you-travel-along-the-roads-in-life-there-is-a-certain-kind-of/) [Amaka Nkosazana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amaka-nkosazana/) > [Without a destination in mind, every road will be a dead end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhiess-krieg/without-a-destination-in-mind-every-road-will-be-a-dead-end/) [Jhiess Krieg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhiess-krieg/) > [“If you’ve been there, done that, gotten the t-shirt, isn’t it time to move on to a new destination? Don’t waste a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-hale/if-you-ve-been-there-done-that-gotten-the-t-shirt-isn-t-it-time-to/) [Mandy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-hale/) > [The soil is the great connector of our lives, the source and destination of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-soil-is-the-great-connector-of-our-lives-the-source-and/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [Maine out of season is unmistakably a great destination: hospitable, good-humored, plenty of elbow room, short days, dark nights of crackling ice crystals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/maine-out-of-season-is-unmistakably-a-great-destination-hospitable/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [Science sees the process of evolution from the outside, as one might a train of cars going by, and resolves it into the physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/science-sees-the-process-of-evolution-from-the-outside-as-one-might-a/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) [Browse all 1,154 Destination quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destination/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The reason that I started the Black Futures Lab is because I have some clarity about what I think needs to happen in relationship to electoral organizing. 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