Black Lives Matter Global Network Co-Founder Patrisse Cullors Disrupts With Solo Thesis Performance at The Big House In Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 18: Patrisse Cullors speaks at her Thesis Solo Show on April 18, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Patrisse Cullor)

Black Lives Matter Global Network co-founder Patrisse Cullors brought a disruptive performance of cleansing and healing to the University of Southern California (USC) community in South Central, Los Angeles last night at her first solo show for her thesis performance. Cullors’ performance was dedicated to celebrating Black culture and healing the Black community to create a space of cleansing in times of trauma and crisis, as told through movement.

LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 18: Damon Turner and Patrisse Cullors speak at Patrisse Cullors’ Thesis Solo Show on April 18, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Patrisse Cullor)

Those in attendance were asked to wear white to the interactive show, curated by Damon Turner with featured artists Damon Davis, Tonina and Street Symphony, as they witnessed elements of performance, live music, sculpture and improvisation. The night began with a hair washing performance which explored the mundane experience of washing Black hair. Next, Cullors showcased her weight and release performance where she incorporated coconut milk, salt and honey as a form of symbolism and mediation. To close out the evening, Cullors lead a talk back about the impact activism has on Black bodies and the crisis of mental illness in our communities. This portion was powered by Reform LA Jails, an initiative formed to support a 2020 countywide ballot to grant the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department Civilian Oversight Commission with subpoena power to effectively and independently investigate misconduct. Learn more about Reform LA Jails here.

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 18: Patrisse Cullors speaks at her Thesis Solo Show on April 18, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Patrisse Cullor)
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 18: A general view at Patrisse Cullors' Thesis Solo Show on April 18, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Patrisse Cullor)
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 18: A general view at Patrisse Cullors' Thesis Solo Show on April 18, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Patrisse Cullor)
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 18: A general view at Patrisse Cullors' Thesis Solo Show on April 18, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Patrisse Cullor)
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 18: A general view at Patrisse Cullors' Thesis Solo Show on April 18, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Patrisse Cullor)

About Patrisse Cullors: Artist, organizer, educator, producer, and popular public speaker, Patrisse Cullors is one of the most important activists for this generation. The Los Angeles native serves as co-founder of the Black Lives Matter Global Network, founder of LA-based organization Dignity and Power Now, and is a senior fellow at MomsRising where she is working on ending Maternal Mortality and Morbidity. Patrisse has spoken at various events and media and brought justice and equality into conversations across pop culture and national platforms. See top stories on Patrisse Cullors and BLM on TIME, New York Times, Bustle, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and Fortune.

About Black Lives Matter Global Network: Founded in 2013 in the wake of the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s murderer by Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi, Black Lives Matter Global Network is a chapter-based, member-led organization in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, whose mission is to build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes. We support the lives of the Black queer and transgender communities, the disabled, the undocumented, those with records, women, and all Black lives along the gender spectrum. By combating and countering acts of violence, creating space for Black imagination and innovation, and centering Black joy, we are winning immediate improvements in our lives. From pop culture to design to fine arts, artists inspired by #BlackLivesMatter understand that creativity transforms politics, transforms our individual relationships, and transforms the world.

LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 18: Damon Davis, Patrisse Cullors and Damon Turner attend Patrisse Cullors’ Thesis Solo Show on April 18, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Patrisse Cullor)

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Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.