As echoed in Bell Hooks’s We Real Cool: Black Men and Masculinity, the culprit to the Black Lives Matter (“BLM”) movement is masculine patriarchy which, in turn, reinforces racism and oppression. The general public fails to recognize that BLM stemmed from oppression to black males, not the black community as a whole. Furthermore, even though this movement is intended to fight anti-Black racism, it is focusing on the empowerment of black women. A. BLM History The BLM movement initially emerged in 2013 via social media in the form of a #BlackLivesMatter hashtag. This hashtag was created in direct response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the case concerning the killing of Trayvon Martin, a black 17-year old teen. Martin was killed by Zimmerman, a member of the local neighborhood watch, who claimed he shot the teen in self-defense. After three weeks of testimony, the jury agreed that Zimmerman could have been justified in shooting Martin because he feared great bodily harm or death. The following year, the movement grew after the death of two unarmed black men– Michael Brown of Ferguson and Eric Garner of New York City. B. Women and the BLM movement BLM was co-founded as both a hashtag and activist network by three black women: Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi. It is no surprise that black women have played a key role in the BLM movement by organizing marches, die-ins, social media campaigns, and protests. Similar to Hooks, these women care about the
During the year of 2013, three pro black pro life Alicia Garza, from Oakland, California; Patrisse Cullors, from Los Angeles, California; and Opal Tometi, from Phoenix, Arizona, established the Black Lives Matter development in the internet as a sociopolitical media discussion, using the hashtag “#BlackLivesMatter.” The thought came when the all three parties, who got to know each other through Black Organizing for Leadership and Dignity (BOLD), a national association that trains group coordinators, all reacted to the disturbing incident July 2013 absolution of neighborhood watch organizer George Zimmerman by a Sanford, Florida, jury for the homicide of 17 Trayvon Martin. Incensed and profoundly troubled by the decision, individuals in BOLD social discussions started demanding answers from the association 's pioneers how they were going react to the ambush on and downgrading of black lives. Garza posted a Facebook post which she titled "A Love Note to Black People" approaching them to "get dynamic," "get sorted out," and "battle back." For Garza, the status focusing on black individuals was an ailment called institutional bigotry that couldn 't be crushed by simply voting. She finished by advising her pursuers that she adores them and that "Our Lives Matter, Black Lives Matter." Cullors reacted to the post with the hashtag "#BlackLivesMatter." Tometi included her backing and another association was conceived.
Whiteness and racism comes from the oppression, colonization and systems of dominance over black people and their feelings. In this case, an intersectional feminist analysis matters because women who are able bodied, cis-gendered, privileged and white are only being considered whereas bell hooks argue that men, women and trans people who oppressed should be fought for. And Peggy McIntosh adds onto this but a white woman who addresses and recognizes her privilege to help other white individuals understand what they have and blacks do not.
Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi created a movement centered towards black Americans which later turned into Black Live Matter. Those three leaders came together in 2013 after the Trayvon Martin case that devastated the black community. Black Live Matter, also known as BLM, became an organization that has a mission to give power and a voice to violence inflicted on Black communities. So many black injustices went unnoticed and ignored, but this group will not stand to let that happen again. Injustice to the black community is what causes so many protests and movements that make the Black Lives Matter organization stronger than ever. .
Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a loosely‐coordinated, nationwide movement dedicated to ending police brutality that rose to prominence in late 2014. It takes its name from a hashtag started by three Black feminist activists Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi but the movement and the hashtag are not identical (Freelon, McIlwain, & Clark, 2016). BLM has achieved national reputation through their online and offline organizing, obtaining extensive news media coverage and glowing references in music and entertainment television. Based on a horrendous incident that sparked a concern for a lot of Black people across the world, the sudden need for a social movement was born called BLM. Black Lives Matter is a national organization working for the validity of Black life and also working to rebuild the Black liberation movement. Black Lives Matter broadens the conversation and highlight the incidents around state violence to include the ways in which Black people are intentionally left powerless at the hands of the state. This referring to the ways in which Black lives are deprived of basic human rights and dignity. According to the article The Murder of Walter Scott, which talks about race and class, “African Americans are less than 13% of the U.S. population yet they are nearly 50% of those killed by the police. North Charleston has a population of 104,000, 47% Black and the police force is 80% white (Miah, 2015)”.
Despite the best intentions of the famed civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. to promote non-violent change the civil rights movement of today is now one of violence and hate. The grass-root organization was founded by three Black women and consists of 26 chapters across the United States. The women leaders Garza, Cullors, and Tometi were passionately steadfast in their plight to end current racism and social injustices against the Black community. However, although the legitimacy of the group’s plight is valid, and many Americans sympathize with their cause and purpose, many do not agree with the group’s strategies of solving crimes against the Black community. The hatred and violent practices by the “Black Lives Matter” groups have caused many that would support the cause to turn against retarding the progression of the civil rights
Aside from being born out of contempt for the Zimmerman acquittal, the movement has become so much more than an outcry for justice. The hashtag #BlackLivesMatter was created using the words of community activist Alicia Garza who wrote a heartfelt Facebook post that ended with those words. Since then, the movement has moved from social media into the streets, with BLM followers holding peaceful protests around the country to decry racial discrimination.
Barbara Reynolds writes in “It’s Hard for Me to Get Behind Black Lives Matter” about a massive disconnect between here generation and that of the Black Lives Matter movement. She explains how the civil rights generation of the 60’s would love to get behind and support BLM but their strategy is devastating to their movement. Reynolds explains that if the BLM group wishes to be taken seriously then they must heed the advice of the older wiser generations who have lived through this. The times may be different but the messages are all to similar says Reynolds, but a leader is needed to drive home that message for BLM.
In 2012, a 17 year-old unarmed black boy was gunned down in Florida while walking home from a gas station after getting snacks. The murder of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, FL by George Zimmerman received attention around the nation. Zimmerman was eventually put on trial for Martin’s death, but was acquitted of second-degree murder and manslaughter, which began the hashtag BlackLivesMatter. The official website, blacklivesmatter.com, describes it as “an ideological and political intervention in a world where black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise. It is an affirmation of Black folk’s contributions to this society, our humanity and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression” (Black Lives Matter, n.d.). The hashtag quickly transformed into a movement in 2014 after the deaths of Michael Brown, John Crawford III and Eric Garner. All three were unarmed black men killed by police who were eventually acquitted for their murders. The Black Lives Matter movement is a call-to-action to encourage people to fight against the racial inequalities endured by black people and stand against the expectations of normality defined by white supremacy. Many have tried to debase this movement by saying that all lives mater and all lives are important. Though the Black Lives Matter Movement may be “pro-black”, it does not mean it is being anti-white or
The Black Lives Matter movement began in 2013 after George Zimmerman was found not guilty of the murder of 17 year-old Trayvon Martin. About a year after Martin’s death, an 18 year-old unarmed male, Michael Brown, was shot and killed by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. That sparked weeks of protests. Years later, Asians, Latinos, and some whites joined in and realized how big of a problem this was becoming. As the years go by, the BLM Movement will keep growing and will not go
The main argument of this source is that the Black Lives Matter’s objectives are being refocused by activists including the original women who started the hashtag. Not only does the article talk about the shift in the BLM movement, but it also talks about the women activist at the center of BLM. The article notes that the women who are being actively involved in the movement are also fighting for their own lives. Despite the low concern given to black women and black female activists face, many of them are victims of sexual harassment, exploitation, and assault in the streets and by the police. When the movement began, its purpose was to organize and draw the public’s attention to the stories of the victims of police brutality. As of 2015 the movement began to use strategies and tactics that would help recognize both the struggles the activists as black women and their loved ones, black
BLM or commonly known as Black Lives Matter had been established in 2012, which meant to stand against the allegedly racial inspired killings by police officers and other unlawful acts against minorities in this country. The murder of Trayvon Martin, a 17 year old African American teenager, started the influence behind the making of this group. BLM has gained a big following from all ethnic backgrounds in this country. BLM has become a positive movement among civil rights activists. Anyhow, although this group has put together to fight directly for the rights of African Americans, they also hindered the process of evolving positive outcomes by resorting to violence. The Black Lives Matter group has gained national headlines
The above narrative is just a mere glimpse of the hurt, anger, and pain in the black community after George Zimmerman was acquitted of charges of second degree murder against seventeen year old Trayvon Martin. These emotions were the stepping stones of a highly significant movement, the Black Lives Matter movement. The Black Lives Matter movement is a response as well as a stance against police brutality against African Americans, which uses the tragic deaths of teenagers Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown as a head for its cause. Many people on social media know the black lives matter movement or refer to it #blacklivesmatter, especially on twitter. The Black Lives Matter movement was founded by Patrisse Cullers, Opal Tometi, and Alicia Garza. Which is defined as an “ideological and political intervention in a world where black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise. It is an affirmation of Black folks contributions to this society, our humanity, and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression.”
Alicia Garza, born January 4, 1981, is an activist who lives in Oakland California, she is the former director of People Organized to Win Employment Rights in the San Francisco bay area. Alicia Garza was recognized on the Root 100 list of African American Achievers between the ages of 25 and 45. Opal Tometi, born 1984 in phoenix Arizona, is the executive director at BAJI (black alliance for just immigration), she is responsible for promoting the Black Lives Matter movement through social media. Patrisse Cullers was born in 1984 in Los Angeles ,CA, she has served as the executive director of the coalition to end sheriff violence in California jails. All three women dedicate themselves to Black
As African-American women address social issues that are important to their life experiences, such as class and race, instead to acknowledge “common oppression” of gender inequality, they are often criticized by “white bourgeois feminists” (hooks, 2000). Their ability to gain any form of equality within society is tarnished by such groups as they develop a “fear of encountering racism” from simply joining this movement (hooks, 2000). As white men, black men, and white women oppress them, their issues are often ignored due to reoccurring stereotypes and myths that claim black women are strong, independent, and “superhuman” (hooks, 2000). It becomes extremely difficult to seek liberation and equity within a “racist, sexist, and classist” society, as their gender and race causes them to be at the “bottom of the occupational ladder” and “social status” (hooks, 2000, pg. 16). As black women are perceived to demonstrate strength and dynamic qualities as white women perpetrate the image of being
The Black Feminist Movement is said to have grown out of the Black Liberation Movement and the Women’s Movement that took place in the United States of America. In both movements Black women were being openly discriminated against and found it hard to voice their opinions and gather solidarity. Author, Cherise Charleswell writes in her article, Herstory: Origins and Continued Relevancy of Black Feminist Thought in the United States, that ‘“Black” was equated with black men and “woman” was equated with white women; and the end result of this was that black women were an invisible group whose existence and needs were (and many would rightfully argue continues) to be ignored.’ This became the reason for Black Feminism to be