WME Signs Black Lives Matter Co-Founder Ayọ Tometi
DEADLINE – Written By: Dino-Ray Ramos
July 29, 2020
EXCLUSIVE: WME has signed Black Lives Matter social media architect and co-founder Opal Tometi for representation in all areas.
As one of three co-founders of Black Lives Matter, Tometi spearheaded and launched #BLM’s social media strategy and launching its online platforms. For nearly a decade, she served as the first female Executive Director of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration, the leading Black organization for immigrant rights.
A daughter of Nigerian immigrants, Tometi has first-hand experience when it comes to challenges that her tight-knit Black immigrant community faced while growing up in Arizona. She witnessed the human rights crisis at the US-Mexico border, and at a young age became an outspoken community organizer.
Tometi is a trusted advisor and board member to many organizations and often travels internationally to support human rights initiatives. In early 2020 she was named one of TIME 100’s Most influential Women of The Century and is currently featured in the Smithsonian’s National Museum for African History and Culture (NMAAHC) for her advocacy and contributions to the community.
Along with her fellow BLM Co-founders, Tometi was awarded the Sydney Peace Prize and an Honorary PhD. She has spoken on human rights and social justice before the United Nations, at congressional briefings, at the Atlantic Ideas Summit, Harvard and Yale Universities, on the TED stage, among other stages.
She has also been recognized as one of the 50 Most Influential People in the World by Forbes, Marie Claire and Cosmopolitan. In 2019, she received The Coretta Scott King Legacy Award and Frederick Douglass 200 honor and just this year, she was honored with the Selma 55th Anniversary Bridge Crossing – Freedom Flame Award.