Quote by Alicia Garza: “Work without dignity is just suffering with a salary.”

A paycheck can make difficult conditions feel justified, but money alone doesn't make labour meaningful. If you have no autonomy, no respect, and no sense of purpose in your work, you're essentially being paid to endure harm. Dignity — the sense that your work and your person are valued — is not optional.

Garza was at the peak of her public prominence in 2015 as Black Lives Matter became a global movement following a series of high-profile police killings of Black Americans. Her writing connected racial justice with economic justice and labour rights, drawing links between different forms of structural oppression.

American activist and co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement alongside Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi. Her work addresses race, labour, and democracy through grassroots organising and her organisation the Black Futures Lab.