The Black Matters

  For the past few years, racial tensions have been on the rise. Although many actions have been taken to prevent these conflicts from occurring, African Americans are still being undervalued by the state. As more African Americans are being turned away with little to no assistance from the American government, anger and the desire for change increased among them. When Trayvon Martin’s murderer George Zimmerman was acquitted of his crime, a great number of Americans were furious at the outcome. Three African American women named Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi expressed their views in a Facebook post titled “A Love Note to Black People” it ends with “Our Lives Matter, Black Lives Matter” (“Black Lives Matter”). Thus, a new liberation movement for black people was born. The hashtag #BlackLivesMatter rapidly spread throughout social media, bringing awareness of the struggles of African Americans. The Black Lives Matter movement is a call to action to eradicate the dehumanization of African Americans that exists in American society. With the constant targeting of African Americans by the police and the unfair treatment in the criminal justice system, the Black Lives Matter movement is a necessity to combat racism.

The slogan was widely used after the death of Trayvon Martin in Florida, in 2012. The unarmed black 17-year-old was shot by neighbourhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman. Support grew following other police killings, including Eric Garner, who died in a chokehold, and Michael Brown, who was killed by an officer who said he acted in self-defence. In the summer of 2020 George Floyd, an unarmed black man was murdered by a police officer who knelt on his neck. Some people argue that using the term Black Lives Matter demonstrates support for an organisation of the same name. It was started in 2013 by three black women: Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi. Among its main goals are stopping police brutality and fighting for courts to treat black people equally. Its demands for equality also include mental health, the LGBT community and voting rights. However, former US secretary of housing and developments Ben Carson, said people with noble aims had been taken advantage of by a "Marxist-driven organisation" that supports "taking down the model of Western family structures". A political commentator and former professor, Carol Swain said: "They are using black people to advance a Marxist agenda." Zimmerman remained free for weeks, but, as the shooting gained national attention, demonstrations demanding his prosecution were held in cities across the United States. He was finally charged with second-degree murder and arrested in April 2012. At his trial more than a year later, Zimmerman claimed that he had acted in self-defence, citing a controversial Florida law known as “stand your ground.” His acquittal in July 2013 was widely perceived as a miscarriage of justice and led to further nationwide protests.

Many people have explained they were opposing racism - not supporting the organisation - when they joined the millions using the #blacklivesmatter hashtag or taking part in protests. For example, after criticism of the England team taking a knee, defender Tyrone Mings said: "It's never been about supporting Black Lives Matter as an organisation. That was a cheap argument that people threw at the movement." Campaigner Femi Oluwole said BLM was a global movement and that "no individual organisation speaks for the whole Black Lives Matter movement".

The Black Lives Matter organisation often provided materials and guidance for protesters, Prof Deva Woodly told the New York Times, but the group did not orchestrate all the marches. She said new activists then took to social media to reach a wide audience.

Supporters have noted that most marches have been peaceful, but conservative US politicians and TV pundits suggested Black Lives Matter contributed to the deaths of police officers. The BLM organisation said this was untrue: "We're targeting the brutal system of policing, not individual police." In the UK, although there is an official BLM organisation, events are often organised by several smaller groups or individuals coming together under the banner of "Black Lives Matter". Supporters of Black Lives Matter have also argued that critics who say "all lives matter" or "white lives matter" are dismissing the impact of slavery and racial inequalities. They say the phrase is a demand for equal treatment and an end to racism - because the lives of black people are just as important as those of others.

The Black Lives Matter movement has many goals. BLM activists seek to draw attention to the many ways in which Black people are treated unfairly in society and how institutions, laws, and policies help to perpetuate that unfairness. The movement has fought racism through such means as political action, letter-writing campaigns, and nonviolent protests. BLM seeks to combat police brutality, the over-policing of minority neighbourhoods, and the abuses committed by for-profit jails. Its efforts have included calls for better training for police and greater accountability for police misconduct. BLM activists have also called for “defunding” the police—that is, reducing police department budgets and investing the freed-up funds in community social services, such as mental health and conflict-resolution programs. BLM activists have worked on voter registration and get-out-the-vote campaigns in Black communities. In addition, BLM programs have celebrated Black artists and writers.

In the US, steps have been taken to tackle police violence and change the way laws are applied. Following the death of Mr Floyd, the term "defund the police" made headlines. Cities including Minneapolis, Portland, Philadelphia and Seattle have started shifting budgets away from police and into areas like schools and housing. In the UK, demonstrations drew attention to the UK's colonial past and saw statues of people linked to the slave trade removed. Problems black people still face were highlighted, including being hit harder by the coronavirus. The debate has also highlighted how employers sometimes fall short. Black history lessons will be mandatory in all Welsh schools from 2022. In England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, teachers can now choose if they want to teach black history. Books about issues affecting black people became best sellers. And, for some people, Black Lives Matter meant starting to have difficult conversations about racism with people they know. Given the political polarization—as well as the increased influence of BLM—it was perhaps not surprising that the movement was an issue during the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Facing a tough race, Pres. Donald Trump, a Republican, was harshly critical of BLM, notably citing isolated acts of violence and looting that accompanied some of the demonstrations against racism and police brutality. He also used the protests as a means to promote a law-and-order platform while appealing to the grievances of some whites. His challenger, Democrat Joe Biden, embraced the movement and Black voters, who were instrumental in his eventual victory. 

Black Lives Matter activists staged protests and issued challenges to candidates seeking the presidency in 2016. Activists disrupted campaign events and forums to ask candidates their position on issues critical to the movement, including police brutality, the rights of transgender people, education, and poverty. Candidate Bernie Sanders later employed Simone Sanders (no relation), a Black Lives Matter activist, as his press secretary. On February 24, 2016, a pair of Black Lives Matter activists confronted Hillary Clinton on her use of the word "superpredators," in a speech about juvenile justice in 1996. Clinton apologized for using the highly racialized term, but she continued to receive criticism from members of the movement. Some public faces of the Black Lives Matter movement chose not to endorse any political candidate. Others elected to support Hillary Clinton in the final months leading up to the 2016 election, including Brittany Packnett, a Teach for America Executive and appointee to Missouri's Ferguson Commission. A group that called themselves Mothers of the Movement—mothers of black men and women killed by police—endorsed Clinton's candidacy. Black Lives Matter protesters were present at rallies helped by Donald Trump's campaign, and they were met with insults and physical threats. At the inauguration of Donald Trump, Black Lives Matter activists obstructed entry onto the spectator section of the event.