Black Lives Matter

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Joshua Glover Plaque
Some Exhibits to Come – Three Centuries Of Enslavement
Harriet Tubman, "The Conductor," with fugitive slaves in Underground Railroad station
Bibliography – Three Centuries of Enslavement
Slave Auction Poster
A 1859 Slave Auction in Savannah, as Reported by the New York Tribune
slaves in cotton field
How Slavery Became the Law of the Land “For Blacks Only”
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Frederick Douglass: “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro”
The Scourged Back: This slave named Gordon ran for 80 miles to join the Union Forces in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in March 1863. This famous photo of the welts on his badly "scourged back" was taken while he was being fitted for a uniform.
The Scourged Back: How Runaway Slave and Soldier Private Gordon Changed History
"Contrabands": During the Civil War, thousands of slaves escaped their owners in the South by getting to Union Army camps. Thus freed, many continued on to settle in the North.
The Freedmen of Wisconsin
This woodcut, published in 1831 with a story about the Southampton Rebellion, was titled "Horrific Massacre in Virginia."
Nat Turner’s Rebellion: Horrific or Heroic?
Map of the world showing which countries that traffic in humans to the U.S.; map shows how individual countries comply with anti-trafficking laws. The Kansas City Star 2009<p>

With BC-TRAFFICKING:KC, Kansas City Star by Mark Morris<p>

02000000; 08000000; 09000000; CLJ; HUM; krtcrime crime; krtfeatures features; krthumaninterest human interest; krtlabor labor; krtnational national; krtworld world; LAB; krt; mctgraphic; 02001000; 02001007; 02011000; CRI; international law; kidnapping kidnaping kidnap; krtlaw law; 04018000; FIN; ODD; african american african-american black; hispanic; krtdiversity diversity; woman women; youth; eames; human; map; morris; prostitution; slave; slavery; smuggle; smuggled; smuggling; trafficking; victim; kc contributed; 2009; krt2009
Traces of the Trade: The North’s Complicity in Slavery
A man stands in front of the Djingareyber mosque on February 4, 2016 in Timbuktu, central Mali. 
Mali's fabled city of Timbuktu on February 4 celebrated the recovery of its historic mausoleums, destroyed during an Islamist takeover of northern Mali in 2012 and rebuilt thanks to UN cultural agency UNESCO.
TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY SEBASTIEN RIEUSSEC / AFP / SÉBASTIEN RIEUSSEC
African Peoples Before Captivity
Shackles from Slave Ship Henrietta Marie
Kidnapped: The Middle Passage

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Black Lives Matter, sometimes shortened to “BLM,” is an anti-racist movement that highlights racism and the disparities that evolve from racism, including police brutality and other anti-Black violence. Black Lives Matter gained popularity online after the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer was recorded and shared by a bystander. In response to the video, which shows officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, protests erupted around the world. These protests were often met with police violence, some of which has been declared illegal while protestors have been falsely arrested.

The momentum continued to draw attention to police violence, both as more Black lives were taken and as previous stories came to light. Trayvon MartinMichael BrownEric Garner, and Breonna Taylor are also victims who the movement has recognized. Thanks to the attention given to these cases, some of the perpetrators have finally faced justice, including Derek Chauvin, who has been convicted with murder.

BLM also encouraged police reform and greater investigations into policing, with some activists calling for reparations  or to defund the police and reroute funds to other social programs that may be more effective. The movement has further brought attention to international conflict and raised funds during the COVID-19 pandemic. In some ways, the movement reflects the previous Civil Rights Movement, which lasted through the 1960s to 1980s including the Black Panther Party, which provided community assistance. Because of this, the movement has been recognized for its historical significance. 

However, the movement has come under fire for protests that turned violent, for focusing too much on Black men, and for mismanaging funds raised.

A nonprofit organization, The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, also exists. Some people may refer to it as simply “Black Lives Matter.”

See all of our Black Lives Matter content below, starting with the most recent.

Dr. Anthony Fauci Appeals to Black Community: ‘The Vaccine That You’re Going to Be Taking Was Developed by an African American Woman’

December 10, 2020

With skepticism about the safety and efficacy of a COVID-19 vaccine running high among African Americans, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, wants Black people to know that a Black woman, Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, was heavily involved in developing one of the vaccines that will soon be available to Americans later this month.

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How Black People Learned Not to Trust

December 6, 2020

Because of the history of exploitation in the medical community in the United States, African-Americans are less likely to be vaccinated.

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Black and Latino students in California are suffering most from the pandemic, a lawsuit says.

December 2, 2020

Minorities in California are impacted the most from Coronavirus, amplified by the inequalities present in the Californian education system.

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‘I Won’t be Used as a Guinea Pig for White People’

October 7, 2020

African-American inclusion in Coronavirus medical studies is crucial for racial equality. People of color have suffered the most from Covid-19, but Black people have been more hesitant than other groups to get vaccines due to a long history of abuse by medical experimenters. 

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Court blocks DeVos from diverting COVID-19 relief from public schools

September 9, 2020

A federal court ruled that Secretary of Education DeVos violated the language of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act – by siphoning off relief funds to private schools, to the detriment of underserved children in public schools, including children from low-income families, children with disabilities, children of color and English language learners.Now public schools will receive the full federal emergency aid to which they are entitled.

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MKE County Exec David Crowley commits his tenure to addressing inequities

August 10, 2020

Amidst the ongoing pandemic, Milwaukee County Executive David Crawley announced that he would be dedicating his tenure to “addressing the gaping inequities” across the city

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A new gentrification crisis

August 3, 2020

As the pandemic continues, plunging the nation into a recession, fear over evictions and the closing of small businesses is fueling concerns that gentrification may speed up.

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Milwaukee Said It First: Racism is a Public Health Crisis

July 28, 2020

The current global pandemic has renewed interest in Milwaukee’s recent decision to label racism a public health crisis.

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REGGIE JACKSON: WHEN WHITE PRIVILEGE COMES UP AGAINST A PANDEMIC

April 28, 2020

During the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, does the demand for a haircut and a bowling lane outweigh the need for social distancing? Some governors and protestors say it’s time to be liberated from lock-down.

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Why the Virus Is a Civil Rights Issue: ‘The Pain Will Not Be Shared Equally’

April 22, 2020

The COVID-19 infection and death rates in the Black community reflect systemic racism in all aspects of American society: healthcare, employment, education, VA benefits, home mortgages/credit, etc.

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