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 Martin, Michael Brown, Eric 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.
Posts Tagged ‘Black Lives Matter (BLM)’
Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation
Congressman John Lewis, the civil rights leader who died on July 17, wrote this essay shortly before his death – to be published on the day of his funeral.
Read MoreSpecial News Series: Rising Up For Justice! – Peaceful Portland protests after federal withdrawal
Oregon’s governor, Kate Brown, agreed with the White House that the state police would take over responsibility for guarding the courthouse after weeks of escalating protests. She said that “Trump’s troops” were behaving like an occupying army in Portland and provoking unrest with heavy-handed tactics.
Read MoreSpecial News Series: Rising Up For Justice! – Chicago removes Columbus statue
Chicago removed a Christopher Columbus statue from the city’s lakefront Grant Park before dawn Friday, a week after protesters tried to topple it.
Read MoreSpecial News Series: Rising Up For Justice! – 45 Wisconsin Communities Protest
As video of George Floyd’s death spread across the US, protests followed in major cities — as well as unexpected small cities and tiny virtually all-white towns around Wisconsin.
Read MoreHow I Became a Police Abolitionist
When people dismiss Blacks who call for police abolition as not caring about victims or safety, they tend to forget that those same Black citizens ARE those victims, those survivors of violence. This article’s author, who is Black and a human rights lawyer, gives a detailed and nuanced perspective on this dilemma.
Read MoreSpecial News Series: Rising Up For Justice! – How the Black Lives Matter generation remembers John Lewis
Of all the ways that John Lewis influenced American life and politics, his indelible impact on young people may be among the most enduring. From student activist to elder statesman, Lewis continually encouraged the nation’s youth to start “good trouble” — and modeled just how to do that.
Read MoreSpecial News Series: Rising Up For Justice! – Black Lives Matter May Be the Largest Movement in U.S. History
15 million to 26 million people in the United States have participated in demonstrations over the death of George Floyd and others in recent weeks making the recent protests the largest movement in US history.
Read MoreSpecial News Series: Rising Up For Justice! – Africa Declares Black Lives Matter
The global uprising against racist police brutality that ignited in the United States has spread to the Blackest continent of all, showing that the aftershocks of class struggle in imperialist countries are often felt in the regions they historically exploit and oppress.
Read MoreSpecial News Series: Rising Up For Justice! – How Black Lives Matter Protests Have Changed The World
In the month since George Floyd’s death at the hands of the police, the world has witness some of the most engaged, passionate and determined anti-racism protests and calls-to-action in recent memory.
Read MoreSpecial News Series: Rising Up For Justice! – Lafayette Square: iconic for Trump presidency
With his triumphal stride through the square to historical St. John’s Episcopal Church, Trump had hoped to appear strong and dominant, and to dispel the narrative of him hiding in the secured White House bunker during evening protests outside. Demanding a show of force, he sought to make the nation’s capital a shining example of how to control the streets amid racial unrest.
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