Meet Bri Martin of Authorize Black in Metro-Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bri Martin.

Bri, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Growing up, I went to predominately white schools and I never experienced the realness of my culture. I experienced the watered-down version of Black history and I didn’t quite grasp the sadness and greatness of my history. I knew that racism still existed and that African Americans were still suffering, but I didn’t pay attention to the severity of it. My eyes weren’t open to the injustices that were happening right in front of me. The murders of Trayvon Martin, Kendrick Johnson, and Michael Brown opened my eyes and weighed heavy on my heart. Their murders had a major influence on me wanting to become a lawyer, getting more involved in my community and learning more about our criminal justice system. I became more aware and obsessed with my culture and all things Black during my first year of college. I know it sounds like such a cliché to attend an HBCU and automatically transform into a Blactivist, but attending my HBCU was definitely the starting point for where I am today.

I received my Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from Clark Atlanta University. Throughout my college career, I was a part of different mentoring programs for academically at-risk students and troubled youth ranging from ages 8-17. My time in these programs gave me the opportunity to see other issues the Black community faced in a different light. These programs allowed me to see the struggles we faced outside of the legal system, such as young, Black girls struggling with their self-esteem to kids being kicked out and on the streets because of their sexuality. I’ve also participated in protests, in Atlanta and my hometown, Greenville, South Carolina, fighting against police brutality in America. I never felt an adrenaline rush like I felt during these protests. I knew that uplifting and fighting for my community was my calling.

After graduation, I began working at a corporate law firm, focusing more on my blog and becoming an activist. I begin law school this fall, where I’ll be starting a dual degree program to pursue my Master’s degree in Public Administration and JD. I want to fight against police brutality, mass incarceration, and racial injustice. I am excited to serve and become a legal voice for the Black community.

My biggest influencers are Fannie Lou Hamer, Shirley Chisholm, Marilyn Mosby, and Angela Rye.

Has it been a smooth road?
It has definitely been a rocky road and a very humbling experience for me. When I first created my blog in 2016, I launched it prematurely. I was so excited about the idea and purpose that I presented it unprepared. I wasn’t as educated on what it took to run a blog or my culture like I thought. I was working full-time, a full-time student, and in the Army Reserves. I had horrible time management skills and I didn’t know how to balance everything on my plate. I struggled with being consistent and procrastination played a major role in my journey as well.

As far as my law school journey goes, it’s been just as rocky. I took the LSAT three times to get the score I wanted. The first two times I took the test, I did the bare minimum when it came to studying and I kept making excuses for why I couldn’t study. I expected to get the perfect test score doing the bare minimum. I was in for a very rude awakening. After taking it the second time, I finally buckled down and got the score I wanted.

All of this has taught me how to be more accountable for my actions. I’m also in the process of unlearning bad habits.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Authorize Black story. Tell us more about it.
Authorize Black is a blog I created my junior year of college. My goal was to create a blog dedicated to Black Excellence, Love, and Matters. I wanted to educate the Black community on our history and promote our Black Kings, Queens, Businesses, Nonprofit Organizations, etc. I wanted Authorize Black to be a one-stop-shop for all things Black. I wanted to start something that was dedicated to uplifting the Black community and share the real news that mainstream media doesn’t show.

We can not grow as a community if we don’t work together to make a change. AB wants to show appreciation to those making a change throughout the community, and reassure the Black community that our voices and lives matter. African Americans are constantly portrayed as criminals, thugs, ghetto, uneducated, etc. in America. We are more than just another statistic. We are doctors, lawyers, teachers, business owners and more, but these things are rarely associated with our community. AB is here to change that and give credit to our community.

I recently hosted my first event a few weeks ago, and I’d definitely have to say that’s what I’m most proud of right now. It was a fair dedicated to black-owned nonprofit organizations and businesses in Greenville, SC. The purpose of the fair was to increase awareness about black-owned nonprofits and businesses that are tailored to the Black community and to build support for them by increasing community involvement. The fair went very well and I’m currently working on launching our next event.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I’m honestly not sure. We live in a place where unarmed Black people get killed on camera on a regular basis and their killers walk freely. We live in a place where Brown men, women and children are being caged like animals and are dying in concentration camps because of a xenophobic president. There are laws being created to regulate the rights of a woman’s body and to further strip away the human rights for people of color. These things show that America’s criminal justice system was never created to protect us. I am hopeful that positive changes will be made due to more Black and Brown representatives speaking up, like Ayanna Pressley, Alexandria Ocasio, Rashida Tlaib, and Ilhan Omar. In the next decade, I know I will be a part of the changes being made in America as well.

“Don’t just fight the System, Become It.”
– Black Lawyers Matter

Pricing:

• T-Shirts – $20

Contact Info:

• Website: www.authorizeblack.com
• Email: authorizeblack@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorizeblack/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorizeblack
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/_brimartin

Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.