Black Lives Matter was originally nothing more than a simple hashtag on social media, started by Patrisse Cullors, Opal Tometi, and Alicia Garza, after the death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. After the deaths of Michael Brown and so many other African Americans at the hands of law enforcement, it gained a large following and became known as something more than a social media hashtag. It evolved and became something so much more. It became a beacon of hope and a symbol of optimism to so many in America. It served as a catalyst in the new era of African American history.
The BLM movement expanded far beyond social media, appearing on Law & Order: SVU and gaining many varied adaptions of the movement. One campaign asked could they use BLM in their campaign and were
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This is false; #BlackLivesMatter does not mean your life is not of importance. It means that black lives, which are often seen as disposable, are important—they do matter. Blacks are systematically discriminated against. They face constant oppression as well. Blacks are just trying to get on equal footing with the rest of America. No one is asking for handouts, but they are asking for acceptance and peace. In class, we briefly discussed Macklemore’s song “White Privilege II,” which gave an excellent explanation on what exactly the BLM movement is for. The explanation reads, “"Black Lives Matter, to use an analogy, is like if... if there was a subdivision and a house was on fire. The fire department wouldn't show up and start putting water on all the houses because all houses matter. They would show up and they would turn their water on the house that was burning because that's the house that needs the help the most.” Blacks just want the same rights everyone else has. This can be achieved through solidarity and blacks coming together to raise an awareness for the issue, which is why the BLM movement is so
#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.
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.
The misconception that BLM doesn’t care about black-on-black crime is false. Those who insist on talking about black-on-black crime frequently fail to acknowledge that most crime in interracial. Ninety-three percent of black murders victims are killed by other black people. And is it also the same for whites, eighty-four percent of white murder victims are killed by other white people. Those who focus on black-on-black crime use it as a diversionary tactic to take down the BLM movement by suggesting that black people do not have the right to be outraged about police violence in vulnerable black communities. The BLM movement acknowledges the crime problem, but refuses to locate that crime problem as a problem of black pathology. Black people
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 and Eric Garner of New York City.
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
In spite of the fact that Black Lives Matter sends a clear message that African Americans are being targeted in America, some disagree with the movement's approach and its exclusion of other ethnic groups. Former editor and columnist for USA Today, Barbara Reynolds, uses the Washington Post to share her views toward Black Lives Matter movement. In her article, she expresses "I support BLM's cause, but not its approach." She illustrates on how BLM's approach is remotely defying and disgraceful to proven methods of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's nonviolent tradition. As a former civil rights activist, Reynolds feels like BLM opposes the structure of peaceful protesting in regards to BLM's "demonstration peppered with hate speeches, profanity, and
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.”
When President Lincoln abolished slavery, it didn’t stop. Black’s were discriminated and hated upon and this is when Jim Crow Laws were established. The southern's wanted a way to keep the blacks enslaved. They weren’t able to use the same public facilities as whites, had to walk through the backdoor, and most couldn’t vote. Through the 1950s and 1960s, African-Americans wanted to gain equal rights. This began with the Civil Rights movement. Today we are seeing history repeat itself. Black Lives Matter was established in July 2013 by Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi. It was created to ensure the protection of black, transgender, women, and undocumented people. Black Lives Matter stands up for police brutality and misconduct
In the United States, there has been many cases of Racial injustice. From the beginning of the start of the United States of America it was the injustice to the Native Americans being captured and used for slave labor while their bison be slaughtered for sportsmanship. But this paper is on the specific race of the African Americans. There are many races that have been racially profiled and ostracized by the English people. But the treatment that African Americans have endured even till this day is disheartening. African Americans have gone through enslavement during the early 1600’s to the mid 1800’s. Then the African Americans were obstructed by the Jim Crow laws creating the ‘Separate but Equal” propaganda during the late 1800’s into the 1960’s. After the abolishment of the Jim Crow Laws, people were considered equal until the recent actions of many police officers using deadly force on African American youths in the early 2000’s.
The statement “black lives matter” fueled the start of a movement. When this movement began people were in need of healing when everyone’s morale was low and gave black people in America hope that their lives did matter. Everyone
One of the most recent example of this is new form of mass mobilization structure is the success of Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement in 2013. Black Lives Matter began with the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the murder of Trayvon Martin. The movement was created by activists Opal Tometi, Patrisse Cullors, and Alicia Garza to combat systemic racism and police brutality targeted towards African-Americans in the United States. In “How Black Lives Matter Uses Social Media to Fight The Power,” author Bijan Stephen serves as a guide and leads readers through the difficulties of early civil rights activists in the 1960s and how the widespread use of social media has opened doors for many social activists today. "Social media could serve as a source of live, raw information. It could summon people to the streets and coordinate their movements in real time. And it could swiftly push back against spurious media narratives with the force of a few thousand retweets" (Stephen 2015). Civil rights activists in the 1960s, during the Jim Crow South era, used traditional organizational tools
the focus of Black Lives Matter is being articulated less as a demand for specific civil or political rights, and more as a broader claim for “black humanity.” Martin Luther King also used the language of human rights to internationalize the issue of racial inequality in the United States. BLM movement is following in king’s footsteps, taking a stance and demanding action. Both movements fight for freedom but in ways that seem to be opposite of the other, one in love, and one in hate.
For decades black Americans have been treated as animals, looked at as if they are monsters, and killed like bugs. Actions like Police brutality and racism is what caused Black Lives Matter. The creation of the Black Lives Matter was a response by the black community to give a voice to black Americans affected by the increase of wrongful deaths due to the law enforcements and vigilantes across the country. This has been going on for so long that it seems like we are stuck in the past. For years, even decades black Americans have had to live the struggle of being equal. Even when things are going good and we think we finally have the same rights, something happened to change that. It is time to shed a light on the real purpose of Black Lives Matter and why they are important to today's society.
The Black Lives Matter movement has swept across America. It 's branched out with chapters in over 31 cities and held rallies and boycotts across the United States(Sidner). The Black Lives Matter movement started with the outrage of the death of a young man. It continues to take over headlines and raise awareness on police brutality and inequality. However, the movement has met resistance from the All Lives Matter group. This group thinks that Black Lives Matter is a movement to express hatred towards other races. However, statistics, the views of fellow citizens, and the overall purpose of the Black Lives Matter movement, can prove that the movement wasn 't meant to express hate on other races and that we need to support the movement instead of going against it.