As echoed in Bell Hook’s We Real Cool: Black Men and Masculinity, the culprit to the Black Lives Matter (“BLM”) movement is masculine patriarchy which, in turn, reinforces racism and oppression. However, the general public fails to recognize that the Black Lives Matter Movement stemmed from oppression to black males, not the black community as a whole. Furthermore, even though this movement is intended to fight anti-Black racism, it is attempting to focus on the empowerment of black women. A. BLM History The BLM movement initially emerged in 2013 via social media in the form of a #BlackLivesMatter hashtag. This hashtag was created in direct response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the case concerning the killing of Trayvon Martin, a black 17-year old teen. Martin was killed by Zimmerman, a member of the local neighborhood watch, who claimed he shot the teen in self-defense. After three weeks of testimony, the jury agreed that Zimmerman could have been justified in shooting Martin because he feared great bodily harm or death. The following year, the movement grew after the death of two unarmed black men– Michael Brown of Ferguson, Missouri and Eric Garner of New York City. B. Women and the BLM movement BLM was co-founded as both a hashtag and activist network by three black women: Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi. It is so surprise that black women have played a key role in the BLM movement by organizing marches, die-ins, social media campaigns,
#BlackLivesMatter is a movement that was started after the murder of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, an African American from Sanford, Florida. This movement is an response to the anti-black racism in our country similar to the civil-rights movement. The activists for the Black Lives Matter movement took to social media to share their new slogan as a hashtag, “Black Lives Matter was created as new civil rights movement to fight against this new form of racism” (Morrison). The Black Lives Matter hashtag has become the banner for many organizations, and millions of individuals wanting change. This phenomenon seized the nation’s attention; social media played an integral role in shaping this and allowing individuals to dispute prevalent racism in America.
In this journal entry Dr.Sarah Jackson, social movements professor at Northeastern University, reports her interview with Cathy J. Cohen an African American author, feminist, and social activist. Cohen’s answers are highlighted and observed because they help build a conclusion to the questions about the role of gender in BLM. This interview is only months old and can speak to a new generation of females who feel their stories don’t matter and can’t be heard. In the interview Cohen expresses different subjects that concern African American feminist in the racial struggles for equality. The main argument of the interview is that BLM is a growing movement and that it will address issues of gender- particularly violence against Black women while having women activist at the center of BLM strategies and tactics.
Aside from being born out of contempt for the Zimmerman acquittal, the movement has become so much more than an outcry for justice. The hashtag #BlackLivesMatter was created using the words of community activist Alicia Garza who wrote a heartfelt Facebook post that ended with those words. Since then, the movement has moved from social media into the streets, with BLM followers holding peaceful protests around the country to decry racial discrimination.
BLM was co-founded as both a hashtag and activist network by three black women: Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi. It is no surprise that black women have played a key role in the BLM movement by organizing marches, die-ins, social media campaigns, and protests. Similar to Hooks, these women care about the
The main argument of this source is that the Black Lives Matter’s objectives are being refocused by activists including the original women who started the hashtag. Not only does the article talk about the shift in the BLM movement, but it also talks about the women activist at the center of BLM. The article notes that the women who are being actively involved in the movement are also fighting for their own lives. Despite the low concern given to black women and black female activists face, many of them are victims of sexual harassment, exploitation, and assault in the streets and by the police. When the movement began, its purpose was to organize and draw the public’s attention to the stories of the victims of police brutality. As of 2015 the movement began to use strategies and tactics that would help recognize both the struggles the activists as black women and their loved ones, black
Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a loosely‐coordinated, nationwide movement dedicated to ending police brutality that rose to prominence in late 2014. It takes its name from a hashtag started by three Black feminist activists Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi but the movement and the hashtag are not identical (Freelon, McIlwain, & Clark, 2016). BLM has achieved national reputation through their online and offline organizing, obtaining extensive news media coverage and glowing references in music and entertainment television. Based on a horrendous incident that sparked a concern for a lot of Black people across the world, the sudden need for a social movement was born called BLM. Black Lives Matter is a national organization working for the validity of Black life and also working to rebuild the Black liberation movement. Black Lives Matter broadens the conversation and highlight the incidents around state violence to include the ways in which Black people are intentionally left powerless at the hands of the state. This referring to the ways in which Black lives are deprived of basic human rights and dignity. According to the article The Murder of Walter Scott, which talks about race and class, “African Americans are less than 13% of the U.S. population yet they are nearly 50% of those killed by the police. North Charleston has a population of 104,000, 47% Black and the police force is 80% white (Miah, 2015)”.
Just like Hughes' poem, BLM expressed the struggles People of Color faced, instead of using literature to gain attention people all around the world went on silent protests, and some protests turned into riots. Together, the protests and riots continued for roughly 19 months, but the movement itself is still active to this day. The BLM movement took inspiration from the civil rights struggles of the past while adopting new strategies and tactics for effecting change. The BLM movement came to life when a 17-year-old African American named Trayvon Martin was fatally shot by a white police officer named George Zimmerman. This police brutality gained a lot of attention and users on all social media apps such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram trended a hashtag called "#BlackLivesMatter".
In 2012, a 17 year-old unarmed black boy was gunned down in Florida while walking home from a gas station after getting snacks. The murder of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, FL by George Zimmerman received attention around the nation. Zimmerman was eventually put on trial for Martin’s death, but was acquitted of second-degree murder and manslaughter, which began the hashtag BlackLivesMatter. The official website, blacklivesmatter.com, describes it as “an ideological and political intervention in a world where black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise. It is an affirmation of Black folk’s contributions to this society, our humanity and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression” (Black Lives Matter, n.d.). The hashtag quickly transformed into a movement in 2014 after the deaths of Michael Brown, John Crawford III and Eric Garner. All three were unarmed black men killed by police who were eventually acquitted for their murders. The Black Lives Matter movement is a call-to-action to encourage people to fight against the racial inequalities endured by black people and stand against the expectations of normality defined by white supremacy. Many have tried to debase this movement by saying that all lives mater and all lives are important. Though the Black Lives Matter Movement may be “pro-black”, it does not mean it is being anti-white or
The above narrative is just a mere glimpse of the hurt, anger, and pain in the black community after George Zimmerman was acquitted of charges of second degree murder against seventeen year old Trayvon Martin. These emotions were the stepping stones of a highly significant movement, the Black Lives Matter movement. The Black Lives Matter movement is a response as well as a stance against police brutality against African Americans, which uses the tragic deaths of teenagers Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown as a head for its cause. Many people on social media know the black lives matter movement or refer to it #blacklivesmatter, especially on twitter. The Black Lives Matter movement was founded by Patrisse Cullers, Opal Tometi, and Alicia Garza. Which is defined as an “ideological and political intervention in a world where black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise. It is an affirmation of Black folks contributions to this society, our humanity, and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression.”
The Black Lives Matter Movement is a chapter-based national organization working for the validity of Black life. Their main goal is to working to rebuild the Black liberation movement. The movement was founded by Patrisse Cullors, Opal Tometi, and Alicia Garza. It was created in 2012 after seventeen year old Trayvon Martin’s murderer, George Zimmerman, was acquitted for his crime, and dead Trayvon was placed on trial for his own murder. The Black Lives Matter Movement is a call to action and a response to the concurrent anti-Black racism that floods the black community.
As of October 2016, a staggering 194 black citizens were killed by police in the U.S. alone (Craven). Three out of five black males state that “they have personally been treated unfairly by police because of their race” (Holland). Many African American citizens are often penalized, not for crimes they have committed, but for their racial background and ethnicity. There are many advocates around the world trying to stop racial profiling and racial discrimination. Black Lives Matter is an internationally based movement that originated in 2012 in the African American community. The movement was created in response to the fatal shooting of a 17 year old African American, Trayvon Martin, who was murdered by a neighborhood watch volunteer, George
Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi created a movement centered towards black Americans which later turned into Black Live Matter. Those three leaders came together in 2013 after the Trayvon Martin case that devastated the black community. Black Live Matter, also known as BLM, became an organization that has a mission to give power and a voice to violence inflicted on Black communities. So many black injustices went unnoticed and ignored, but this group will not stand to let that happen again. Injustice to the black community is what causes so many protests and movements that make the Black Lives Matter organization stronger than ever. .
Alicia Garza, born January 4, 1981, is an activist who lives in Oakland California, she is the former director of People Organized to Win Employment Rights in the San Francisco bay area. Alicia Garza was recognized on the Root 100 list of African American Achievers between the ages of 25 and 45. Opal Tometi, born 1984 in phoenix Arizona, is the executive director at BAJI (black alliance for just immigration), she is responsible for promoting the Black Lives Matter movement through social media. Patrisse Cullers was born in 1984 in Los Angeles ,CA, she has served as the executive director of the coalition to end sheriff violence in California jails. All three women dedicate themselves to Black
The Black Feminist Movement is said to have grown out of the Black Liberation Movement and the Women’s Movement that took place in the United States of America. In both movements Black women were being openly discriminated against and found it hard to voice their opinions and gather solidarity. Author, Cherise Charleswell writes in her article, Herstory: Origins and Continued Relevancy of Black Feminist Thought in the United States, that ‘“Black” was equated with black men and “woman” was equated with white women; and the end result of this was that black women were an invisible group whose existence and needs were (and many would rightfully argue continues) to be ignored.’ This became the reason for Black Feminism to be
I don't think I quite remember when I started to identify as a black feminist. There was never that moment of clarity because to me black women are equal to everyone, we deserve to be recognized and celebrated just like everyone else. This movement was founded on the historical disadvantage of women. Black feminism to be specific is the desire for equal access to opportunities for females, not systemic racism, sexism, mass incarceration etc. People get so hung up on the word but fail to realize that feminism fights for gender equality in a culture that has historically devalued women. Feminism isn't about making women stronger, we're already strong. It's about society acknowledging that strength and treating us as equals. What everyone fails