BLACK LIVES MATTER

BLM BASIC INFO

What is BLM?

BLM is a movement that stands for Black Lives Matter. It is a movement that aims to get rid of white privilege and violence against black people. Black people have a history of being oppressed and brutalized and many have been targets of police violence.

When did it start?

The movement was started in 2013 by 3 women. Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi. They responded to acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s murderer, George Zimmerman by creating a political will and movement centered on black people called #blacklivesmatter.

The movement has grown globally and is largely supported by many people around the world.

Why did it start?

#blacklivesmatter started because a 17-year-old African boy, Trayvon Martin, was shot dead by a neighborhood watch captain, George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida. Zimmerman admitted that he fatally shot the boy but even after that, he didn’t get sentenced to prison for his actions. Rallies took place in honor of Trayon and his family. Eventually, Zimmerman was arrested and charged for second-degree murder and manslaughter. (someone can do an article all about Trayvon’s shooting) However, after George Floyd’s death, the movement became much greater as the outcry against the police increased.

Image credit: https://www.ppaoregon.org/2020/06/01/our-commitment-black-lives-matter/

What is their goal/what do they believe in?

The goal of Black Lives Matter, as mentioned before, is to get rid of white privilege and racism against black people. The movement also aims to provide a community that comes together due to their shared struggles. They believe in acknowledging and respecting differences and justice and freedom for Black lives. In extension, they believe in justice and freedom for all lives.

What has happened

After George Floyd’s death, thousands of people have attended protests demanding justice and condemning racism. These people are also speaking out against police brutality. The former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was accused of third-degree murder after kneeling on George Floyd’s neck during an arrest and killing him. Later, this became second-degree murder. The three other police officers present during George Floyd’s arrest, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao, and J. Alexander were also charged with second-degree murder and were arrested a week after George Floyd’s death.

Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City has also made changes, announcing that he has moved funding from the city’s police department to youth and social services. On 7 June, he wrote a statement saying, “These will be the first of many steps my Administration will take over the next 18 months to rebuild a fairer City that profoundly addresses injustice and disparity. While we have taken many steps to reform policing in this city, there is clearly more work to do to strengthen trust between officers and the New Yorkers they serve.”

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Among many other things that have changed, officials in Washington DC and states including California, Nevada and Texas have banned chokeholds and reviewed police reforms. According to the Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Texas, has banned chokeholds and any other devices or techniques that restricted airways.

How can we educate ourselves?

To educate yourself on this matter, one should learn about white supremacy and its role in the history of American capitalism. It is important to remember that doing this is not a favor to anyone, but the least one can do for the people who have been oppressed for so long.

By understanding the privileges that come with being white and the racist system, one must unlearn it and learn that benefiting from others’ oppression is not morally acceptable or healthy.

You can read about Black Lives Matter and the history of black people being oppressed with many different resources and articles on anti-racism. Rachel Ricketts’s racist resources are a good place to begin. https://www.rachelricketts.com/antiracism-resources

How can we help?

You can help by considering taking an IAT, or Implicit Association Test to see whether you still have any racial bias or racist beliefs. The link to the test is here: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html

To help with this movement, you can also attend protests protesting about racism. However, you must also remember to not share pictures or videos of protestors’ faces or any identifiable features, or the police will find them and charge them. One must also research before attending one, as many white supremacist groups are creating fake protests and many are police traps. To learn more, click here: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/#protesters

If you cannot protest for whatever reason, there are plenty of other ways to help with the Black Lives Matter movement, such as signing petitions. However, keep in mind that you should not donate to change.org. The donations they ask for do not go to the causes but to themselves. White House petitions do not do very much, and were only effective under Obama’s administration. They mean nothing in Trump’s term. Here is a website leading to more petitions: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/#petitions.

You can also donate to mutual aid funds, sharing Black Lives Matter links, streaming playlists or playing games. You can also donate to the victims, protesters, black owned businesses, organisations and other important places that you can find here: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/#other.

References