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)’
Black Student Activists Stand Against Racist Cultures on Campus
From Yale to Missouri, college campuses are becoming ground zero in challenging white supremacy and institutional racism. By Peniel E. Joseph, The Root The radical spirit of the Black Lives Matter movement touched college campuses this past week in high-profile demonstrations against a culture of racism infecting higher education. The University of Missouri in Columbia…has…
Read MoreHillary Clinton Meets With Mothers Of Trayvon Martin, Jordan Davis, Michael Brown And Tamir Rice
“It doesn’t matter what color we are, I felt that she really understand where we are coming from,” Rice’s mother said. Alana Horowitz Satlin, The Huffington Post Hillary Clinton held a private meeting in Chicago on Monday with the families of prominent victims of recent gun violence. The mothers of Trayvon Martin, Jordan Davis, Michael Brown…
Read MoreObama Breaks Down ‘Black Lives Matter’ During Panel on Criminal-Justice Reform
President Barack Obama presents his opinion on the Black Lives Matter Movement during a panel about criminal justice reform. Watch video of his statement.
Read MoreBlack College Student Brutally Beaten By Police Officers In D.C.
The Metropolitan Police Department later confirmed that Jason Goolsby had committed no crime. Philip Lewis, Huffington Post A video that went viral on Twitter appears to show Jason Goolsby, an 18-year-old freshman at the University of the District of Columbia, being brutally beaten and detained by police officers Monday night. D.C. police claimed the incident was in response…
Read MoreThousands Gather for Million Man March 20th Anniversary in D.C.
Black men and women from around the nation are gathering on the National Mall to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March and call for policing reforms and changes in black communities.
Read More2 Outside Reviews Say Cleveland Officer Acted Reasonably in Shooting Tamir Rice, 12
By Mitch Smith, New York Times Two outside investigators looking into the death of Tamir Rice have concluded that a Cleveland police officer, Tim Loehmann, acted reasonably in deciding last year to shoot when he confronted the 12-year-old boy carrying what turned out to be a replica gun. Those opinions, reached separately by…
Read MoreBlack Lives Matter Co-Founder Reflects On The Origins Of The Movement
How the movement began on social media, how it grew, and how it answers critiques that it provokes violence.
Read MoreIs This the End of the 2nd Reconstruction?
By Henry Louis Gates Jr., The Root This has been a bruising time for the African-American community—as bruising as any in recent memory. The tragic deaths of Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, Walter Scott, Freddie Gray, Sandra Bland, the Rev. Clementa Pinckney and the other eight victims in Charleston, S.C.—as well as others too…
Read MoreA White Artist Wrote ‘Black Lives Matter’ 2,000 Times. But His Mural Almost Said ‘All Lives Matter.’
What happened when a black gallery owner in Detroit commissioned a large mural from a white artist as an homage to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Read MoreRichard Sherman Says He Supports Black Lives Matter, But ‘Black-On-Black’ Crime Needs To Stop First
By Matt Ferner, National Reporter, The Huffington Post Seattle Seahawks’ star cornerback Richard Sherman says he supports the Black Lives Matter movement, but believes that the issue of “black-on-black” crime needs to be resolved first. Sherman made the impromptu remarks before reporters Wednesday in response to a controversial website comment about the Black Lives Matter movement that…
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