Black Lives Matter is a now international activist organization that was founded in 2013 in the African American Community after the acquittal of George Zimmerman
Trayvon Martin was walking back to see his father alone to his fiancée's house in Sanford, FL after purchasing a snack and drink at a nearby convenience store. Zimmerman, a member of the community watch, saw Martin and reported him to the Sanford Police as suspicious.
(pic from the hollywoodgossip)
Black lives matter began with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter. The three women who started the organization are Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi. They campaign against violence and systemic racism towards black people. BLM regularly holds protests speaking out against police killings of black people, and broader issues such as racial profiling, police brutality, and racial inequality in the United States criminal justice system.
The next major events BLM responded to in 2014 were the fatal shooting of Michael Brown Jr. and Eric Garner. Michael Brown was an 18-year-old African American young man who was fatally shot by a white police officer, 28-year-old Darren Wilson, in the city of Ferguson, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. Brown was with a friend at the time named Dorian Johnson. According to officer Wilson, an altercation ensued when Brown attacked Wilson in his police vehicle for control of Wilson's gun until it was fired. Brown and Johnson then fled, with Wilson in pursuit of Brown. Wilson stated that Brown stopped and charged him after a short pursuit. In the entire altercation, Wilson fired a total of twelve bullets, including twice during the struggle in the car. The last one was probably the fatal shot. Brown was hit a total of six times from the front.
It was said that Brown had his hands up and said, “don’t shoot”, in which the FBI, who were not at the incident, concluded he didn’t do this. But protesters, some from BLM, as well as others, believed that Brown had put his hands up which lead to the protest chant, “Hands Up, don’t shoot”. The incident sparked protests and acts of vandalism in Ferguson as well as widespread calls for an investigation into the incident. On August 10, after a day of vigils, there were looting of businesses, arson, vandalism of vehicles, shots fired at firemen and violent clashes between protestors and police. On August 18, soldiers from the Missouri National Guard arrived in Ferguson at the request of the Governor of Missouri Jay Nixon, who also ended midnight to 5:00 a.m. curfews that had been imposed. On November 24, a grand jury decided that it would not indict Wilson in the shooting death of Brown. Following the announcement of the grand jury's decision, there were peaceful protests as well as rioting. Since the Ferguson protests, participants in of BLM have continued to protest. Sadly there have been many black men and women who were murdered by white police officers since. I would listen to the news around that period of time and just be sickened. It happened so often, almost like mass-shootings, something that happens way too often that people seem to get used to it, thus minimizing its importance and savagery.
Eric Garner, from Staten Island, NY, was stopped by the New York City police for possibly selling packs of cigarettes. He was put in a chokehold by a NYC officer, a technique that is not legal there. This was harder on Garner because he had acute and chronic bronchial asthma and hypertensive cardiovascular disease. The medical examiner identified Garner’s death as homicide, but the officer, Daniel Pantaleo who killed him, was not indicted for the crime. Of course, like they should have, protests, and cries for justice ensued.
One of the main issues that BLM has focused on is police (primarily white) violence against black people, and often specifically black men. There are plenty of other issues that they have focused on, but unfortunately there have been so many victims of the police, that this is the only thing they are known for, and of course its an important issue. But it is part of, as I mentioned, a systemic racist society which stems from the legacy of slavery. So many generations have gone by, yet black and brown people are still treated like second class citizens. Just as an example of this violence is in 2016 250 black people were killed by police. Though its several years later, I imagine the rates are similar.
As you can see, above, I put in a link to the concept of systemic racism, or institutional racism, which is a form of racism expressed in the practice of social and political institutions. It is reflected in disparities regarding wealth, income, criminal justice, employment, housing, health care, political power and education, among other factors. This explains so much. If this was a super long blog I could go into each issue, but as you can see how all-encompassing these issues are, and how many issues there are. This concept, that I agree with, which I learned about in sociology classes, is something very important that many white, and sometimes even some black people, are not aware of, or are ready to believe. Maybe they’ll get “woke”
According to the BLM website, “Black liberation movements in this country have created room, space, and leadership mostly for black heterosexual, cisgender men—leaving women, queer and transgender people, and others either out of the movement or in the background to move the work forward with little or no recognition. As a network, we have always recognized the need to center the leadership of women and queer and trans people.” And ,“We are guided by the fact that all Black lives matter, regardless of actual or perceived sexual identity, gender identity, gender expression, economic status, ability, disability, religious beliefs or disbeliefs, immigration status, or location”. I really appreciate that Black Lives Matter addresses discrimination within the black population, which also exists in this misogynist patriarchal society, and wants marginalized people to be leaders.
There are so many issues that BLM deals with, that consist under the umbrella of systemic racism that I can’t go into more unless starting another post. I would check the Black Lives Matter Website (linked above) which has a lot of information, ways you can participate, and also a shop to buy a t-shirt, perhaps that says,
"Black Lives Matter".
And as a last thought: THE T-SHIRTS THAT SAY "ALL LIVES MATTER, AND THE VERY CONCEPT OF, “ALL LIVES MATTER”, IS OFFENSIVE AND DISMISSIVE OF THE BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT AND OF BLACK PEOPLE! Of course, all lives matter. This is not the time, or way to address this message. I know there are innocent people who don’t know, wearing the t-shirts, that don’t understand, who think saying “Black Lives Matter” is a way of suggesting other lives do not matter. No! Its taking advantage of your white privilege and voice, trying to take the voice of people who have historically had less of a voice.
An article focusing on the racism in "All Lives Matter" by a writer who is white, talking to white people, having them face their racism.
Another good article about the subject of "All Lives Matter" being offensive and dismissive.
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