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 Lives Matter videos, Clinton campaign reveal details of meeting
Hillary Clinton and Black Lives Matter activists had a frank and at times tense discussion last week behind closed doors, and thanks to video released Monday, the American public is now hearing exactly what the two sides said to each other.
Read MoreA year after Ferguson, 6 in 10 Americans say changes are needed to give blacks and whites equal rights
A growing number of Americans say the country needs more changes to give blacks equal rights, according to a new Washington Post poll.
Read MoreBill O’Reilly Compares #BlackLivesMatter Movement To Gestapo
Bill O’Reilly compared the Black Lives Matter movement to the gestapo Wednesday night, shortly before proclaiming he is the reporter who has done the most to “shed light” on violence against young black men.
Read More[ABHM] Lecture series asks ‘Do Black Lives Matter?’
ABHM Head Griot Reggie Jackson is interviewed about the origins of the devaluation of black lives in America. His four-session series covers a 400-year history of the laws, court decisions, customs, pseudo-science, medicine, policing, and other practices that justify and support that attitude that black lives do not matter.
Read MoreEric Garner Is Remembered One Year After His Death
Held aloft in her mother’s arms, Legacy Garner, the 15-month-old daughter of Eric Garner, opened a wooden bird cage Friday morning and released a white rock dove.
Read MoreProtesters Against Police Brutality Begin 9-Day March From New York To D.C.
A march from New York City to Washington, D.C., to protest police brutality started Monday morning in Staten Island — the borough where Eric Garner died last summer after being put into a chokehold by a New York police officer.
Read More‘Black Lives Matter’ Course To Be Offered At Dartmouth University
Dartmouth is set to offer a course titled “10 Weeks, 10 Professors: #BlackLivesMatter,” centered around racial inequality and violence in America.
Read MoreMO Governor Declares State Of Emergency Ahead Of Grand Jury Decision
Gov. Nixon issued an executive order declaring a 30-day state of emergency in Missouri to protect the citizens and businesses from the potential “violence and damage” he presumes if the grand jury fails to indict Officer Darren Wilson. Wilson shot and killed unarmed teenager Michael Brown in August 2014.
Read MoreMan gets life without parole for murdering Florida teen over loud music
Michael Dunn has been sentenced to life without parole for the shooting death of 17-year-old Jordan Davis.
Read MoreFerguson Has Awakened a Larger Struggle for Racial and Economic Justice in America
The attention garnered by the killing of Michael Brown has people demanding social justice once and for all.
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