Despite social movements from leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, racism still persists in America today.
It has become the norm in the society we live in; young black individuals killed for committing minor crimes, the housing market disadvantages black people by leaving them no choice but to concentrate in “bad” urban areas, and overall, black people being given the shorter end of the stick due to the color of their skin.
The willpower of three women, determined to shed light on these prevailing issues, led to the creation of Black Lives Matter.
Black Lives Matter started with Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi, three radical black organizers, in 2013. The movement began in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin, who was gunned down by George Zimmerman. Trayvon was seventeen years old when he was killed.
Garza, Cullors, and Tometi wanted to create a movement that not only honored black heterosexual men, as black empowerment movements have in the past, but also women and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Something like this has never been done before, as past movements have only really acknowledged black, straight males rather than garnering support for all black lives.
The leading female reformers of #BlackLivesMatter wanted to bring marginalized individuals closer to the center of the movement’s focus.
One of the movement’s key phrases, “Say Her/His/Their Name,” strikes me because it commands people to remember the names of the victims of police brutality against black people. This is a phrase that is very direct, causing us to not forget the victims’ names, hence not to forget about them. Black Lives Matter has honored individuals like Sandra Bland, Michael Brown, Terence Walker, Mya Hall, and Tanisha Anderson.
Black Lives Matter was organized to end state-sanctioned violence against black people, pointing out when our society works against them. It is not a movement to amplify black people as superior to those of other races, but rather to empower black people in a way that they have not been before.
Movements like #BlueLivesMatter/#AllLivesMatter have been created in response to #BlackLivesMatter because some view Black Lives Matter as a movement that perpetrates hate to our law enforcement, or to people that aren’t black.
These movements did not begin until #BLM was established; police lives have always mattered, and so have everyone else’s. The support of one group does not preclude others from being just as important.
I feel very strongly for this movement because I believe that its establishment has been overdue, as I have noticed racially-driven violence or instances of passive racism committed around me by individuals who did not give these occurrences a second thought. And I’ll speak up about it.
I think it’s important that white people like me use their privilege in a way that benefits those whose voice may not always be heard due to the color of their skin.
There is a system of oppression present in this country. Racism is not a “thing of the past;” it is alive and well, even if it does not come in the form of overt, physical violence against people of color. Black Lives Matter launched a movement that not only took a simple phrase and put power behind it, but also gave power to all black individuals, educating the country they are a part of.
– Sydney McFadden