Marissa J Johnson. Founder of Seattle BLM, philanthropist, activist, speaker, author, and much more

[SmallFry]

Founder of The Phoenix Fighter

Marissa Jenae Johnson is a Seattle-based writer, entrepreneur, speaker, and organizer working at the intersections of politics, Blackness, womanhood, and Christianity. She has previously organized within the Black Lives Matter movement, and has been a consistent national voice on issues of Black liberation and allyship. Marissa controversially reached the national stage when she helped take over a Seattle rally for 2016 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and has been pushing white liberals to be effective ever since.

Marissa was the co-creator and content director for Safety Pin Box, a subscription service for white people who want to be allies in the fight for Black liberation. Safety Pin Box’s core mission was to fund the radical work of Black women and femmes.

As the sole content creator for most of Safety Pin Box’s products, including the Ally Backpack and SPB Kids, Marissa has continued her dedication to Black liberation in the creation and launch of The Phoenix Fighter. As the driving force behind the political education of the brand, she both produces original content and helps bring the work of other Black women activists to a national stage.

In the past, Marissa has been compared to ISIS in a campaign ad tweeted by Donald Trump himself, and she also dragged rapper Killer Mike in a takedown that was covered by Complex Magazine. Her work stretches from the unconventional and controversial to the mundane, but her influence is felt by many.

The Phoenix Fighter

What it Means to be a Phoenix Fighter

The Phoenix Fighter is a digital subscription box created to equip white allies with the knowledge and perspective necessary to be effective in the fight against white supremacy while providing essential funding to the work of Black activists across the globe.

Each month Phoenix Fighter takes on a different theme pertaining to white supremacy. You’ll learn how each month's issue affects where you live, what work is already being done in your community to combat it, and what next steps you can take to help.

Our holistic approach encompasses four key pillars: education, understanding, self-awareness, and action. Not only do we educate you about white supremacy, we help you examine your own life so that you can implement anti-racist tactics and strategies in your own life.

Phoenix Fighter also provides opportunities for you to ask questions, learn with other people wrestling with the same things you are, and learn from activists working on the ground in their communities. And we do this all while giving back to Black activists working to make their communities a better place!

The Phoenix Fighter

Author

So You Wanna Be an Ally
Or How Not to Be a Racist Asshole

Harper Collins

The Roots' Top 100 Activists

Marissa Johnson is an activist and co-founder of the Safety Pin Box.

Marissa Johnson is providing lessons on racism and how to fight white supremacy, one box at a time. Johnson, a Black Lives Matter activist and speaker, co-created the Safety Pin Box with fellow activist Leslie Mac in the wake of the 2016 election. The Safety Pin Box is a monthly subscription service that helps white people who want to fight for black liberation. Some of the proceeds go toward black female organizers who are on the front lines of fighting for justice in our communities. But Johnson isn't new to this work. In 2015, she jumped onstage during a Bernie Sanders rally to demand that the politician speak up on behalf of black lives and to denounce police brutality. But since then, she's tried to steer her energy toward supporting black female activists and getting white allies on the same page as black freedom fighters.

The Root

More Information On The Safety Pin Box

These Women Started a Company to Teach White People How to Be Less Racist

Since the safety pin trend launched after the election, a lot of people have tried to profit from it — from Etsy artisans to luxury brands. But amidst the corporations trying to figure out how to capitalize on white Americans’ desire to broadcast their solidarity in the Trump era, one company is doing something different: Safety Pin Box is the brainchild of two women of color who were frustrated with the superficial display of white activism. If white people really wanted to be allies, they wondered, would they be willing to do more than pin a piece of metal to their shirts? And if so, what would that look like?

Marissa Jenae Johnson and Leslie Mac created Safety Pin Box to find out. The monthly subscription service challenges its users to do more with their outrage than display it, and in exchange for $50–$100 a month (depending on the program) receive not a pin, not a pussy hat, but a lesson about racial bias and a task to tackle it. Plus, their cash contributions fund black-women activists, in an attempt at reparations. Three months later, Safety Pin Box has 800 subscribers and has contributed nearly $21,000 to Black Women Being. Both Johnson and Mac have quit their jobs to focus on the project full time.

The Cut


Our future is bright.

[abqtommy]

1. You have my support. I maintain my belief that what's good/productive for one ethnic

group is good for all of us.