Cicely Gay is a board member of Black Lives Matter. Gay brings over two decades of nonprofit and philanthropic expertise to her role with Black Lives Matter. She was at the League of Industry Mom‘s luncheon during Super Bowl week and caught up with rolling out during the event.
What do you see as the most critical issue that needs to be addressed within the movement?
I think it’s extremely important that we recognize that black lives matter, not only is fighting against sanctioned violence, but also for black life and black love and the powers that be are coming against us at every single turn. It’s going to take togetherness, as much as we can be, to fight those forces, right? So that means investments in advocacy and policy, education and research, and the arts, as well as the expanse of black life. As long as we do that together, we know we can win.
What are the most effective ways for individuals to get involved in the cause?
The first thing people have to do is educate themselves. The Black Lives Matter movement is big, involved, complicated, and has many layers. And, so first, you’ve got to educate yourself about the truth about Black Lives Matter. That’s why you should visit BlackLivesMatter.com and find out who we are and where we’re going; you can also support and figure out where we are making strategic investments. If you care about the arts, if you care about athletes, if you care about policy, if you care about front-line organizing, you can get involved, and that means your time, your talent, and your treasure. We need all of us right now more than ever.
Do you still have moments that reinforce that you need to keep working to advance this cause?
Oh, Lord, it happens every day when people meet me and find out I’m in this role after serving for 20 years with nonprofit organizations across the world. They also learn that I am the mother of three black sons. There are some people who don’t want me in this space. And some of them look like us. And I remember my oldest son saying, “Mom, you spent 20 years preparing us for the world. And now it’s time for you to prepare the world for us.” And so they hold me to being honest, remembering my values, and remembering why I came to this space. And they keep me strong, help me build my fortitude, and help me remember what I’m fighting for. And that’s black life and black love. It’s my three sons.
Why are Black women so crucial to the movement?
Oh gosh, these questions are so deep, you’re going to make me emotional. I mean, black women hold up the world. It was my mentor Susan L. Taylor, who first taught me that. And so wherever we go, everyone else follows, right? So if black women, who are integral to families and communities, have everything they need, black men will too, and black children will too. And so as long as we’re supporting Black women and black moms in particular, we know the community will follow.
