Founded in the midst of historic uprisings, elections and a pandemic, Backbone leads movements by using digital to tackle high impact, high stakes campaigns and causes across the country. We make good trouble and train the next generation to do the same.
Marion S. Trikosko, "Voting in Cardozo High School, Washington, D.C." (1964)
We believe true power is grassroots.
We believe ALL Black lives matter.
We believe justice delayed is justice denied.
We believe action fueled by love conquers all.
We believe the future belongs to those who speak up and fight for it.
From intentional digital campaigns to accessible videos and graphics, we draw from our experience as digital organizers and strategists to push movements forward.
We develop the next generation of diverse, cutting-edge leaders.
We help campaigns and causes refine and share their stories.
We use social, email and peer-to-peer texting to mobilize communities.
We execute thoughtful storytelling strategies across all digital mediums.
We empower brands through art direction, copywriting, and multimedia.
If they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.
Shirley Chisholm
First woman to run for a major-party presidential nomination.
If I fall, I'll fall 5 feet 4 inches forward in the fight for freedom.
Fannie Lou Hamer
Activist who brought the civil rights movement to the forefront
Education remains the key to both economic and political empowerment.
Barbara Jordan
The first black woman to oversee a legislative body in the U.S.
We have to talk about liberating minds as well as society.
Angela Davis
A radical educator and long-time activist for civil rights.
My great grandmother had a backbone. Disco “Mama Shug” Moore was born November 9, 1903 in rural Louisiana and would go on to become one of the first Black business owners in the state when she opened Moore’s Café. Mama Shug fed hungry bridge workers throughout the 1950s — and these laborers weren’t building just any bridge. The 24-mile long Lake Pontchartrain Causeway would become the longest bridge over water in the world.
It’s the spirit of trailblazers like Mama Shug, Shirley Chisholm, Pauli Murray and the tenacity of modern organizers that inspired me to launch Backbone: a nod to the Black women and non-binary folks who continue to build bridges that uphold our country’s democracy every election and every day. From our earliest work with Michelle Obama’s When We All Vote and Stacey Abrams’ Fair Fight Action to our history-making electoral wins since, Backbone is bringing the gifts our ancestors gave to continue leading movements in the 21st century. In the prophetic words of Maya Angelou: we rise.
– Jess Moore Matthews, Founder & Chief Good Troublemaker
Our experience driving change spans multiple movements.
