Tamika Mallory’s Powerful Voice in Civil Rights Activism

There are very few people who can become full-time activists. Yes, everyone can contribute in their own ways, but few people are charismatic and influential enough to take on this role. However, for Tamika Mallory, becoming an activist was one of the most natural paths to take.

Her organizational skills, her powerful voice, and her neverending desire to bring justice and equality to the country are unmatched. She has truly become one of the most prominent activists of our time. But where did she come from? And what does she fight for?

Tamika was born in Harlem to two activist parents who helped found Al Sharpton’s NAN (National Action Network). From a very young age, Tamika was exposed to the injustices bestowed upon people of color. And through her parents, she learned how to fight these with activism.

At the tender age of 11, Mallory already joined the NAN and began helping out in any way that she could. Her hard work and involvement in the group gave her the role of Executive Director in 2011, the youngest ever person to get this job.

Because of her tireless work in the position, Tamika was slowly but surely becoming a prominent voice for change. In 2014, she was brought in to help create the NYC Crisis Management System, which dealt with gun violence in New York City. But it was in 2017 that Tamika gained widespread recognition.

When Donald Trump was elected President of America, millions of people were disappointed, but most especially women, people of color, the LGBTQ community, and other marginalized communities. They decided to assemble and march to protest Trump’s inauguration.

But Tamika wanted it to be more than just a march. She wanted to use this as an opportunity to bring attention to the different marginalized communities in America, from women and gays to immigrants and people in lower-income classes.

Thanks in part to Tamika’s tireless organizing, the 2017 Women’s March in Washington DC was a massive success. Around 500,000 people marched in Washington DC, while millions more marched all across the globe. Some even claimed that this was the biggest single-day protest in history. It also landed Tamika on Time’s list of 100 most influential people of the year.

And while the issues these communities are facing didn’t disappear on that day, it sent a very clear message to the White House that Trump couldn’t just roll over everyone and get his way.

Despite her amazing work as an activist, Tamika has also had her fair share of controversies. Many have accused her of being an anti-semite because she attended some of Louis Farrakhan’s (the leader of the Nation of Islam) events.

She has also never acknowledged Israel’s right to exist, and since the October 7 Hamas attacks, she has strongly supported Palestine’s cause. Of course, these don’t take anything away from her amazing work for the BIPOC community, but some people criticized her for what she believes in.