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Pam Adams Journal Star education reporter @padamspam

PEORIA Before the presidential election, Patrisse Cullors, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter, spent a lot of time explaining the organization and its work.

Now the questions Im getting are how is Black Lives Matter going to relate to the current presidency, Cullors said during a recent telephone interview.

The answer is clear to the woman whose hashtag galvanized a campaign against police violence and anti-black racism.

Cullors will speak Thursday at Bradley Universitys Renaissance Coliseum.

A California-based artist and community organizer, Cullors co-created the phrase with Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi in a passionate response, posted on Facebook, to the 2013 acquittal of George Zimmerman in the murder of Trayvon Martin in Florida. A year later, Cullors helped organize support for protests in Ferguson, Mo., after a grand jury did not indict police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown.

Black Lives Matter has been successful in putting the deaths of unarmed black men and youths at the center of national conversations about criminal justice reform, Cullors said. But Donald Trumps presidency highlights the importance of building coalitions, she said, among groups advocating for human rights, including immigrants rights and the rights of people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.

We know weve got to build a broad movement to insure Trump isnt elected again in four years, Cullors said.

Co-sponsors of Cullors appearance represent a broad coalition of campus and community groups.

Pam Adams can be reached at 686-3245 or padams@pjstar.com. Follow her on Twitter @padamspam.

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Black Lives Matter co-founder to speak at Bradley - Peoria Journal Star