Black Lives Matter: What is the actual meaning? (working title) “Black Lives Matter”, written by Alex Altman, describes the origin, purpose and the eventual impact of the Black Lives Matter Movement. It tackled the question of whether or not the movement brought our country closer together or has it created a few more racial barriers to overcome? The black lives matter movement shed light on the very controversial topic of racial discrimination. Racism in America is not a new struggle; it has only resurfaced. Racism is a very uncomfortable to speak on but it plays an integral role in America's history. Within his article, Altman uses Time as a platform for education and awareness. The Black Lives Matter movement was founded by Alicia Garza, …show more content…
The topic of racism evokes a reader's emotion in many different ways. Altman utilizes that emotion in order to make the reader more invested in the piece. The author used three cases of racial injustice to further support the movement and its purpose. He takes advantage of the sensitivity of the subject of the subject, adding images of various protests, arrests and the images of the gentleman killed because of his race. Experiencing racism through film and images is exponentially more moving than reading about it.
The first and most well know case he used was that Trayvon Martin. Martin was an African American teen with his hood up that was seen walking out of the local convenience store whilst shoving a bag of skittles into his pocket. Martin was shot multiple times and accused of shoplifting. But, unfortunately, he later passed in the hospital by the hands of neighborhood watchman, George Zimmerman, who was later acquitted in the death of the individual. Altman described how the community reacted to the incident; the event caused the eventual creation of the
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Altman used this article as a platform for education and acclamation. Spread through the article were facts on the movements origin, public scrutiny, and immense success. The author heavily focused on presenting his information in a way that would identify with the reader. He used three major cases of racial injustice to lead into his key points. The fact that he used such emotional and controversial situations captured the attention of the reader. Altman, like a good writer, acknowledged the views of a few people that thought that the movement was hurting America more than it was helpful. There are statistics that show that racial tensions have risen since the movement began that would’ve only further intensified the message of the article. Although Altman may not have added more information he still wrote a powerhouse article that is informative and heartwarming. He will continue his career with the Time magazine where he will continue informing our
A necessary and common fight for equality has been one that has survived throughout all of man’s existence. Due to recent racial divide and the product of racial profiling, a movement has risen up to combat these common issues. The most recent and most well-covered is the Black Lives Matter Movement. Even though it has been lauded by some media sources and individuals as the next great movement to champion for civil rights, the Black Lives Matter movement is not the same as the African-American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s nor is it likely to be as successful. If the Black Lives Matter Movement continues with discrepancies in ideology, lack of clear leadership, and trends of hate, the movement is doomed to fail.
For decades black Americans have been treated as animals, looked at as if they are monsters, and killed like bugs. Actions like Police brutality and racism is what caused Black Lives Matter. The creation of the Black Lives Matter was a response by the black community to give a voice to black Americans affected by the increase of wrongful deaths due to the law enforcements and vigilantes across the country. This has been going on for so long that it seems like we are stuck in the past. For years, even decades black Americans have had to live the struggle of being equal. Even when things are going good and we think we finally have the same rights, something happened to change that. It is time to shed a light on the real purpose of Black Lives Matter and why they are important to today's society.
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)”.
After his death, a group of protesters chanting “black lives matter” shut down a local shopping mall which lead to further deaths of unarmed black men. The phrase started appearing on t-shirts and posters banners everywhere. Black Lives Matter surfaced and the movement created itself. There are now more than 37 movement chapters in the U.S and one in Canada. “The movement doesn’t win if there’s only a small set of people who understand the solutions. It wins when there’s a broad understanding that we need a system that doesn’t kill people, when a critical mass of citizens can envision what that looks like, and what concrete steps are taken to make it happen.” Says Deray Mckesson, a 29-year-old man who drove 600 miles to witness the Ferguson scene himself. McKesson met a woman here who he began sharing information about events and tweeting updates, who then quickly became the most recognizable figures associated with the movement in
In a previous Inquisitr article, I wrote about the Twitter firestorm that erupted concerning the All Lives Matter movement after the incident in which a gunman shot and killed five police officers in Dallas, Texas, last Thursday. It angered many people and the question was raised as to why the All Lives Matter movement is so offensive right now. I decided to write another article to try to explain why the ALM movement is wrong at this time. In another day and time, the movement would be something we could all aspire to, but many don’t understand the reason why Black Lives Matter more right now. It is not to condemn other races, or say that any other lives don’t matter, but the BLM movement was born out of prejudice against people of color.
“Saying #AllLivesMatter is like running through a cancer fundraiser & saying ‘There’s other diseases too,’” says a source in Daniel Victor’s article. The Black Lives Matter campaign supporters believe every life is equally important as the next. Contrariwise, they also believe not every life goes through the same troubles. Therefore, they deem attention and support should go to the lives that are in need of immediate backing. All lives do matter but as of right now the lives of Black Americans are in need of support. The Black Lives Matter Campaign is not meant to put down other races it is meant to bring up a race that is being put down. It is meant to help people who are in need. Victor’s Audience are people who blindly believe the term “All Lives Matter” is helping society. Through esteemed sources, an intelligent choice of audience and emotional appeal’s Daniel Victor effectively corroborates the “All
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 for 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 view on a Facebook post titled “A Love Note to Black People” and 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.
Lately, there have been several stories in the news that highlight the mistreatment of African-Americans in today’s society. These stories are horrifying to read as an American who believes in justice and equality for all, and have caused quite a stir in the black community. After the death of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida, a cry went out from the people; the slogan #BlackLivesMatter took life and started to spread throughout the United States. The slogan became even more popular with the people after the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. This slogan is used around the United States today as a way to bring light to the long unresolved and underlying issue of racism and oppression of blacks in this country. This transaction
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
Like stated in the beginning of the essay, no matter how far black people have come, they still aren’t equal to the white people. Black Lives Matter is an important movement for black people to use in their search for equality. It’s important to learn about black history because it shows the strides they have made. Who would’ve thought that when Rosa Park stood up for her rights that a little over 53 years later there would be a black President sitting in the oval
This unfortunate incident started the movement that is now to help defend of the lives of African Americans. The Black Lives Matter Movement started after the killing of seventeen year old Trayvon Martin. He was shot and killed because a neighborhood watch felt as though he was a threat to the neighborhood. The only weapon was a bag of skittles and a can of tea. George Zimmerman was instructed to stay in his vehicle after he saw someone suspicious walking in the neighborhood. Mr. Zimmerman disregarded what the person from dispatch told him and got out of his vehicle to follow the young teenager. Moments later shots were fired. Zimmerman never denies shooting Trayvon and claimed it was in self-defense. In his defense, he was bleeding from both his nose and the back of his head.
Racism in the United States has been a major issue since the colonial era. In 2012, an organization called Black Lives Matter was created by Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi, and Patrisse Cullors. This organization was created after 17-year-old Trayvon Martin’s murderer, George Zimmerman, was not held accountable. The purpose of this organization was to spread awareness of “white supremacy” in the court, and racial controversies that are against African-American people (“A HerStory of the #BlackLivesMatter Movement”). Although the Black Lives Matter organization has a great purpose, it also caused more racial controversies within societies.
Originating in 2012, the political movement known under the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter has exploded in size and renown. This movement, which was initially inspired after a police officer was acquitted of all charges after fatally shooting an African American individual, seeks to diminish police brutality against African American individuals and systemic racism particularly in the United States. Sweeping the nation, Black Lives Matter has become an international movement and its influence has only increased with time. On the movement’s official website, the following was written regarding the history of the hashtag-inspired entourage, “#BlackLivesMatter was created in 2012 after Trayvon Martin’s murderer, George Zimmerman, was acquitted for his crime, and dead 17-year old Trayvon was posthumously placed on trial for his own murder. Rooted in the experiences of Black people in this country who actively resist our dehumanization, #BlackLivesMatter is a call to action and a response to the virulent anti-Black racism that permeates our society. Black Lives Matter is a unique contribution that goes beyond extrajudicial killings of Black people by police and vigilantes.” (http://blacklivesmatter.com/about/). The #BlackLivesMatter movement asserts that racism is still prevalent in modern society and exists not only in passive forms. Instead, racism apparently can be both overt and implicit.
The Black Lives Matter movement is to bring awareness of the multiple ways in which African Americans feel powerless. The Editorial Board from The New York Times wrote, “The Truth of ‘Black Lives Matter’” to inform the elderly population who read the paper about how the lives of the African Americans has never been easy. When it comes to the topic of equality, many knowledgeable people would readily agree that African Americans have not always had it easy. The editorial board begins to write about some stories of the different ways that African Americans have died, they also mention and make connections between past events.
the focus of Black Lives Matter is being articulated less as a demand for specific civil or political rights, and more as a broader claim for “black humanity.” Martin Luther King also used the language of human rights to internationalize the issue of racial inequality in the United States. BLM movement is following in king’s footsteps, taking a stance and demanding action. Both movements fight for freedom but in ways that seem to be opposite of the other, one in love, and one in hate.