I was born fighting for Freedom.
I will die fighting for
Freedom,
but this time,
Freedom includes me.
- Tamika D. Mallory
Tamika D. Mallory is a bestselling author, award-winning social justice leader, and movement strategist. A powerful organizer, she has led major justice movements, from fighting voter suppression to advocating for Breonna Taylor. As the youngest-ever Executive Director of the National Action Network, she helped create New York City’s $100 million Crisis Management System for gun violence prevention. She also made history as a national co-chair of the 2017 Women’s March, the largest single-day demonstration in U.S. history.
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In 2020, Tamika’s viral speech during the George Floyd protests resonated with millions worldwide and became the foundation for her bestselling book, STATE OF EMERGENCY: How We Win in the Country We Built. In early 2025, she released I LIVED TO TELL THE STORY, a coming-of-age memoir that offers a deeply personal reflection on her journey as a curious young girl from Harlem, NY to an internationally recognized activist. Now, as co-founder of Until Freedom, she continues to advocate for marginalized communities and co-hosts the TMI Podcast (Tamika & Mysonne’s Information) on iHeart Radio’s Black Effect Network.
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Named one of Time 100’s Most Influential People and featured on Fortune’s World’s Greatest Leaders, Tamika has received numerous honors, including the Phoenix Award from the Congressional Black Caucus. She remains relentless in her fight for justice, all while embracing her most cherished roles as a mother and grandmother.
ABOUT THE BOOK
A powerful and heartfelt memoir of perseverance and triumph over tragedy from Tamika D. Mallory, trailblazing social justice leader and cofounder of the Women’s March.
From early days as daughter to Black civil rights activists in Harlem, New York, to a young Black woman’s first battles against the physical and political violence she’d fight all her life, to the never-before-shared personal and professional crises launched by those forces intent on keeping her silent, this is a work of activism in motion and an unflinching story of America at the turn of the 21st century.
Ultimately, I Lived to Tell the Story is a celebration of the profound truth that our hearts grow closest when we discover that the values we share are grounded in personal truths as well as high-minded aspiration.
Until Freedom is an intersectional social justice organization rooted in the leadership of diverse people of color to address systemic and racial injustice. At Until Freedom, we believe that those closest to the pain are closest to the solution, therefore, we focus on investing in those who are the most directly impacted by cyclical poverty, inequality, and state violence.
We are a clearinghouse for advocates, new & budding activists, seasoned community organizers, students, movement lawyers, entertainers and artists, policy experts, formerly & currently incarcerated individuals, and survivors of gun violence to work linearly to uplift all of our people. Everyone is worthy, everyone is needed to win.
