Black Lives Matter first captured national attention in the days after the acquittal of George Zimmerman, the man who shot Trayvon Martin. Soon after, the organization was on the ground in Ferguson, Mo., protesting the killing of Michael Brown and solidifying its campaign against police brutality. Some call Black Lives Matter a modern iteration of the civil rights movement led by a new generation of activists, while others see the group as a subversive organization which poses a threat to America. Regardless of how the group is viewed, BLM is now internationally recognized as a social-justice organization. But it’s likely that few know the story of the women behind BLM, including co-founder and author Patrisse Khan-Cullors. In her new book, “When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir,” she discusses her life and how her coming-of-age and passion for activism led to the creation of Black Lives Matter. The book is our February selection for Bookmarked: The Under the Radar Book Club. 

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