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)’
Accepting Rights Award, Colin Kaepernick Decries ‘Lawful Lynching’
By The Associated Press AMSTERDAM — Amnesty International gave the former N.F.L. quarterback Colin Kaepernick its Ambassador of Conscience Award on Saturday for his kneeling protest of racial injustice, which began a sports movement and might have cost him his job. Eric Reid, one of Kaepernick’s former San Francisco 49ers teammates, presented him with the…
Read MoreA Tale of 2 Mich. Water Crises
By K. Araújo, The Root On Oct. 23, 12 Oakland County, Mich., communities spent roughly nine days without water after a major water main break. Almost 305,000 people were affected by the break. Oakland County and the Great Lakes Water Authority worked nearly around the clock to ensure that the residents in those communities had safe,…
Read MoreBlack Protester Hugs Squirming Nazi, Quips, ‘Why Don’t You Like Me, Dog?’
By Breanna Edwards, The Root The black protester who was caught on viral video hugging a squirming and uncomfortable neo-Nazi outside white supremacist dump truck Richard Spencer’s speech at the University of Florida in Gainesville on Thursday is acknowledging that he could just as easily have hit the guy (an act in which someone else…
Read MorePhilando Castile’s Legacy Of Helping His Students Pay For Lunch Lives On
Monique Judge, The Root Philando Castile was known as a caring man at the St. Paul, Minn., school where he worked as a cafeteria supervisor. He cared so much for the children he served that he often paid for their lunches out of his own pocket when they were unable to, and now, thanks to…
Read MoreBLM: Charlottesville Is A Confirmation Of The Violence Black People Endure
White supremacists, neo-nazis, and members of the Ku Klux Klan rally together to display their unwavering hate for blacks in Charlottesville, VA and Black Lives Matter responds. Read the article to see how.
Read MoreAmerica Has Finally Found Its ‘Perfect Victim’ Of A Police Shooting
Police brutality somehow looks different on a white victim. Justine Dramond, a Caucasian Australian who was engaged to be married was innocently shot and killed by an officer and people of all backgrounds are mourning her loss, but it wasn’t the same reaction when Philando Castile, who was also engaged to be married, was innocently shot and killed by an officer. See what the media has to say about it.
Read MoreThe Messy Story Behind The Black Lives Matter Sign In My White Family’s Window
A white couple beats fear and hesitation by deciding to place a BLM sign in the front window of theihome in a predominantly affluent white neighborhood.
Read MoreTeens Plaster Vandalized Emmett Till Marker With Words Of Hope
By Elyse Wanshel, HuffPost Black Voices A civil rights landmark in Mississippi that commemorates the death of Emmett Till has been vandalized, The Associated Press reported Monday. The sign, which has been defaced before, was scraped so badly that information and photos about Till’s brutal death have been obliterated. Students from Cultural Leadership, a St. Louis-based nonprofit that…
Read More#SaveUnderground: Aisha Hinds on Freedom Dreams and Revolutionary Art
“Underground” was more than just another television show to many and that is why so many are enraged that it has been taken off the air. Find out why in this article.
Read MoreCivil Rights Era Poet Shares How to Create Civility in Today’s Society
From:Huffington Post- Black Voices Written By: Kristina Puga Writer and activist Eugene Ethelbert Miller discussed his love for writing and history by stating: “I wanted to be involved in every aspect of writing about it,” says Miller about the politically-charged time, as sharply and energetically as if it were just yesterday. “It was just like now…
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