Black Lives Matter Pasadena was founded in 2015 by Jasmine Richards Abdullah to empower, build, unite, restore, and sustain the Black community of Pasadena, with a focus on Black youth.

“Once I came back from Ferguson where we had the Freedom Rides, there were problems in Pasadena, in the community, and I was like, “I might as well do something about it.” We started fighting for justice for Kendrec McDade who was a 19-year-old young man who was killed by the Pasadena police, and as we started doing that, we started noticing they’ve been killing my friends and they’ve been doing it for years. So, we decided to be like Black Panthers really in Pasadena. We also noticed that there were not any community programs and that needed to change. There’s nothing for kids to do, and Black youth. And so we focused all of our efforts on this community and what the community needs.” - Jasmine Richards Abdullah

Jasmine initiated Black Lives Matter Pasadena after having been activated in the Ferguson, Mo. uprising in 2014, subsequently organizing in LA and nationally. As someone who was raised in gang violence herself, Jasmine’s life was transformed by seeing resistance and resilience in Ferguson. She quickly rose to be a powerful organizer who resonates heavily among young people.

As her profile rose, so too did the targeting by police and the state. Threatened by her ability to challenge young people to question and work to transform the conditions in which they lived, the suburban city of Pasadena arrested her on trumped up charges, including a felony lynching charge for which she was unjustly convicted. Jasmine continues to be a freedom fighter, using her voice to fight and organize relentlessly in her community.

Guiding Principles

We Want To...

EMPOWER

EMPOWER one another, so that we are able to know our divine purpose, the purpose that the Creator/God has given us. Empowerment affirms our divine right as Black people.

BUILD

BUILD our people up by uniting, collaborating, and building community with other Black people to work towards our purpose and unite and collaborate to fulfill God’s purpose.

UNITE

UNITE the Black community to build purpose so that we can fiercely and unconditionally love one another, and ultimately choose liberation.

RESTORE

RESTORE BLACK LOVE for one another. We want to restore LOVE, ESTEEM, FAITH, and RESPECT in each other, ultimately extending this love to our community/neighborhoods and ourselves.

SUSTAIN

SUSTAIN and REPLENISH one another, so that we can maintain longevity. We want to keep the momentum going so that we can effectively organize the community, so that the community can organize themselves without burnout.