--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We've said from the very beginning Black…" description: "\"We've said from the very beginning Black Lives Matter is a network and also, as a broad set of individuals, is an organization moving to transform the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e94/alicia-garza-8065_beginning_we-ve-said-from-the-very-beginning-black_1885793.jpg" --- # We've said from the very beginning Black Lives Matter is a… ![“We've said from the very beginning Black Lives Matter is a network and also, as a broad set of individuals, is an organization moving to transform the way our society values black lives. It's not an 'Internet movement.'” quote by Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e94/alicia-garza-8065_beginning_we-ve-said-from-the-very-beginning-black_1885793.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e94/alicia-garza-8065_beginning_we-ve-said-from-the-very-beginning-black_1885793.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e94/alicia-garza-8065_beginning_we-ve-said-from-the-very-beginning-black_1885793.jpg) > “We've said from the very beginning Black Lives Matter is a network and also, as a broad set of individuals, is an organization moving to transform the way our society values black lives. It's not an 'Internet movement.'” [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. The movement is a structured organization aiming to change societal values toward Black lives, not just an online trend. **In simple terms:** BLM is an organized effort to shift how society values Black lives. Key Takeaway Support organized activism for racial equity. Themes racial justice activism social change community organizing Mood determined hopeful urgent Type statement call to action mission When to use this quote - protests - policy advocacy - education campaigns - community dialogues Key Concepts intersectionality collective identity systemic reform Questions to Reflect On - How can we strengthen offline community ties? - What structures best sustain long‑term change? A Different Perspective Online activism alone cannot replace sustained, on‑the‑ground work. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beginning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginning/) [Black lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-lives/) [Black lives matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-lives-matter/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) ## Related quotes > [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/) > [Black Lives Matter was created as a response to state violence and anti-black racism and a call to action for those who want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/black-lives-matter-was-created-as-a-response-to-state-violence-and/) [Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/) > [For me, it's clear Beyonce sees herself as a part of the movement for black lives and believes that black lives matter - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/for-me-it-s-clear-beyonce-sees-herself-as-a-part-of-the-movement-for/) [Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/) > [We are clear that all lives matter, but we live in a world where that's not actually happening in practice. So if we want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/we-are-clear-that-all-lives-matter-but-we-live-in-a-world-where-that/) [Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/) > [Black Lives Matter is not just concerned with what happens in policing. The disregard, the disrespect, and the lack of dignity for black life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/black-lives-matter-is-not-just-concerned-with-what-happens-in/) [Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/) > [Black lives matter' doesn't mean that all lives do not matter, rather it is a cry for equal treatment in the greater circle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-messam/black-lives-matter-doesn-t-mean-that-all-lives-do-not-matter-rather/) [Wayne Messam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-messam/) > [At the end of the day, Black Lives Matter and we all know this and I get when people say all lives matter, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhea-ripley/at-the-end-of-the-day-black-lives-matter-and-we-all-know-this-and-i/) [Rhea Ripley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhea-ripley/) > [“I believe Black Lives Matter is a movement to rehumanize black citizens. All lives matter, but not all lives need to be pulled back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/i-believe-black-lives-matter-is-a-movement-to-rehumanize-black/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [What Black Lives Matter is doing is a deliberate inversion of the proper processes of historical analysis. It is beginning with a conclusion. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-starkey/what-black-lives-matter-is-doing-is-a-deliberate-inversion-of-the/) [David Starkey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-starkey/) > [Yet civil rights issues are very much on the front burner in South Carolina between the Black Lives Matter movement and police shootings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-shapiro/yet-civil-rights-issues-are-very-much-on-the-front-burner-in-south/) [Ari Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-shapiro/) > [When I'm talking to people, I find myself quoting the three organizing rules of Black Lives Matter. Black Lives Matter was initiated by three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/when-i-m-talking-to-people-i-find-myself-quoting-the-three-organizing/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Everybody's life matters. But that's why we have to say black lives matter, because the highest disproportionality, police brutality, disenfranchisement, education disproportionality in school…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-dolezal/everybody-s-life-matters-but-that-s-why-we-have-to-say-black-lives/) [Rachel Dolezal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-dolezal/) > [Myself and the co-founders of the Black Lives Matter movement have been called terrorists, but in truth, we are loving women whose life experiences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrisse-cullors/myself-and-the-co-founders-of-the-black-lives-matter-movement-have/) [Patrisse Cullors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrisse-cullors/) > [Black immigrants and refugees have just as much at stake in the fight to make Black Lives Matter as African Americans do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/black-immigrants-and-refugees-have-just-as-much-at-stake-in-the-fight/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [With Black Lives Matter, we knew from the very beginning that it wasn't just going to live online. We were like, 'We're creating this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrisse-cullors/with-black-lives-matter-we-knew-from-the-very-beginning-that-it-wasn/) [Patrisse Cullors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrisse-cullors/) ## 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 reason that I started the Black Futures Lab is because I have some clarity about what I think needs to happen in relationship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/the-reason-that-i-started-the-black-futures-lab-is-because-i-have/) [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/) [Explore all 84 Alicia Garza quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/) ## More Beginning quotes > [At the very beginning, I was a page at Letterman, and I freelanced for any place that would let me write any word. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-schwartz/at-the-very-beginning-i-was-a-page-at-letterman-and-i-freelanced-for/) [Ben Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-schwartz/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Every Finish Line is the beginning of a new race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-finish-line-is-the-beginning-of-a-new-race/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Always keep the smile, because the smile is the beginning of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-imad/always-keep-the-smile-because-the-smile-is-the-beginning-of-love/) Adam Imad > [We are beginning to see intimations of this in the implantation of computer devices into the human body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/we-are-beginning-to-see-intimations-of-this-in-the-implantation-of/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [The only vocal training I had was playing with a tape recorder as a kid, and you know, doing the beginning of the 'Lone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-buffer/the-only-vocal-training-i-had-was-playing-with-a-tape-recorder-as-a/) [Michael Buffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-buffer/) > [January is the beginning of a new year for us in the Western world. Let us give to God what belongs to him: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-white/january-is-the-beginning-of-a-new-year-for-us-in-the-western-world/) [Paula White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-white/) > [In the beginning, if you look at those early label albums of the Chicks, we didn't write all that much. We had an A&R…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martie-maguire/in-the-beginning-if-you-look-at-those-early-label-albums-of-the/) [Martie Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martie-maguire/) > [You need more than a beginning if you're going to start a book. If all you have is a beginning, then once you've written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-need-more-than-a-beginning-if-you-re-going-to-start-a-book-if-all/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [When there is a mission before you, you see it from its beginning to its conclusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-white/when-there-is-a-mission-before-you-you-see-it-from-its-beginning-to/) [Jesse White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-white/) > [When God made the world, all things began with him. Life, death, it all began when he said so. That includes you and me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manae-poet-of-carisis/when-god-made-the-world-all-things-began-with-him-life-death-it-all/) Manae Poet Of Carisis > [From the beginning at Intel, we planned on being big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-noyce/from-the-beginning-at-intel-we-planned-on-being-big/) [Robert Noyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-noyce/) > [In the very beginning, Yelp started as a service where we really didn't think people would write reviews for fun. The whole concept of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-stoppelman/in-the-very-beginning-yelp-started-as-a-service-where-we-really-didn/) [Jeremy Stoppelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-stoppelman/) > [Some projects feel like the stars are aligning for them from the very beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-smith/some-projects-feel-like-the-stars-are-aligning-for-them-from-the-very/) [Gregory Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-smith/) > [Do not judge me by my beginning, Only by my end, Nor by the path I took, But where it led me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacklyn-h-lucas/do-not-judge-me-by-my-beginning-only-by-my-end-nor-by-the-path-i-took/) Jacklyn H Lucas [Browse all 3,566 Beginning quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginning/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We've said from the very beginning Black Lives Matter is a network and also, as a broad set of individuals, is an organization moving to transform the way our society values black lives. 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