A movement known as Black Lives Matter was created due to the injustices that minority men specifically African Ameircan. Black Lives Matter also known as BLM is an activist group that campaigns against violence and racism towards Black individuals (cite). BLM focuses on bring attention to things such as police brutaility, racial profiling and overall racial inequality that exists in society today. This movement gained exposure during the widely covered case of Trayvon Martin. On February 26, 2012, George Zimmerman shot and killed 17 year old trayvon Martin. Zimmerman was a neighborhoos watchman who called police to say that a suspicious man was walkinging around the neighborhood with a hood on. The police told Zimmerman to retreat back to
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.
BLACK LIVES MATTER AND BLACK TRANS LIVES MATTER When looking into the movement Black Lives Matter it began after the death of Trayvon Martin in 2012, as a result of George Zimmerman that was acquitted for the murder, the response the African American community had was to develop “Black Lives Matter” (Blacklivesmatter.com). When looking into Black Tran’s lives matters movement began as a response to the year 2015, being described as the worse year on record for increasing amounts of murders of black Trans and gender non-conforming females (Biko, 2016). The main focus for “Black Lives Matter” was based on ideological and political intervention in a world where black lives are targeted for demise (Blacklivesmatter.com). The main reasoning to
After what we heard about the brutality of police officers to the African-American community, Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement started by there strong women, Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi. The movement first started in 2013, when a police officer brutally shot Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old student in Florida. BLM movement was first started on the social network website Twitter by the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter. I heard the whole keynote that was presented by Bobby Vaughn. Actually his last statement had an effect on me “All lives matter, black lives matter, LGBTQ lives matter, muslims lives matter.” It made me realize that it is not only my life or my family’s lives, but also every human being. We need to be treated equally
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 (BLM) Movement is a movement against police brutality. This movement began after 17-year-old boy, Trayvon Martin was fatally shot, and his killer, former police officer, George Zimmerman was acquitted for the crime. (BLACKLIVESMATTER.COM) As Black Lives Matter has continued to make a difference through peaceful protests on a mass scale , such as kneeling during the national anthem at sporting events or peaceful protests after a shooting. Many have claimed that the movement is extremely offensive, against police officers, or that African Americans are claiming superiority over other races, while others continue to support the movement. The fight between Blue Lives Matter, All Lives Matter, and Black Lives Matter continuously strikes violent riots, but the question still stands- what is the Black Lives Matter movement really trying to accomplish?
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.”
The Black Lives Matter Movement is a chapter-based national organization working for the validity of Black life. Their main goal is to working to rebuild the Black liberation movement. The movement was founded by Patrisse Cullors, Opal Tometi, and Alicia Garza. It was created in 2012 after seventeen year old Trayvon Martin’s murderer, George Zimmerman, was acquitted for his crime, and dead Trayvon was placed on trial for his own murder. The Black Lives Matter Movement is a call to action and a response to the concurrent anti-Black racism that floods the black community.
Washington Post (TMP, 2016). Then it leaves the question as to why there were only unarmed minorities that were being blasted all over the media outlets when they were shot and killed if this were the case. The first reason was that this person was unarmed and black in America. Then it was that racism still existed even though many came to the conclusion that this was not the case. Now it is because of the Black Lives Matter movement. There are thousands of reasons as to why this is being done except for the real reason. The real reason appears to be exposing those departments that fail to adequately train their officers for all situations and determining when and where to use excessive force (Kesic, Thomas & Ogloff, 2012).
If there is one thing that I have learned the most throughout this semester, it is to ask why. Not to sit and accept what I am told but to ask “So what?” and this is what brought me to this question. Why do black lives matter? Of course, the question could be answered by just saying that all lives matter but if that was the correct answer, then there would not be a problem. There are many ways to look at this question and many sociological concepts to apply to it and that’s what makes this particular question very intriguing. The “Black Lives Matter” movement started with numerous deaths of black individuals by the hands of the police force. Some of the shootings were said to have happened for valid reasons but that is a never ending controversy. Granted, these things have been happening for years and it is more or less just a momentary subject prompted by heavy media coverage, but why did the shootings even happen to begin with. It would be foolish to just sit and shout “It is become of racism!” because there is a better explanation other than that. There is a problem that has to be explained in some way. The problem is that African Americans have been killed by the hands of mostly white policemen and nobody seems to know how to give a rational reason. The three ways I am going to take explain this is through the eyes a functionalist, a conflict theorist, and symbolic interactionist along with a few other sociological explanations.
The movement “Black Lives Matter” was founded officially in 2013, but began in 2012 with the trial of George Zimmerman allegedly murdering Trayvon Martin(Miller). The movement was founded by multiple people including: Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi(Miller). From its creation, Black Lives Matter has been involved in a series of protests which have frequently turned violent, and given the movement a poor reputation among US citizens. However, some of the uppers in the movement claim that the only way for people of America to really pay attention to their movement is to partake in civil disobedience(Green). With the movement having a side aimed at potentially harming others for attention or a spotlight from the media, the people within the movement appear to want this problem solved now for the harm to stop on both fronts. The people involved in the movement also state, “We’re going to curse at you. We’re going to throw some stuff at you. We might even tip over a police car or two, but you will not just come into our
As of October 2016, a staggering 194 black citizens were killed by police in the U.S. alone (Craven). Three out of five black males state that “they have personally been treated unfairly by police because of their race” (Holland). Many African American citizens are often penalized, not for crimes they have committed, but for their racial background and ethnicity. There are many advocates around the world trying to stop racial profiling and racial discrimination. Black Lives Matter is an internationally based movement that originated in 2012 in the African American community. The movement was created in response to the fatal shooting of a 17 year old African American, Trayvon Martin, who was murdered by a neighborhood watch volunteer, George
The dignity of Black Americans is being taken away by the same people who are getting paid by American tax dollars, to protect and serve. Because of this rash of recent deaths, Black Americas have started an initiative to ban together to fight the racial injustice in this country. Black Lives Matter is an organization of American activist who created a grassroots movement to abolish the degradation and demonization of Blacks Americans. This movement formed after the shooting death, of Florida Black American teen Trayvon Martin, whose killer George Zimmerman, was released on an acquittal. Since then, more attention has been drawn to the disproportionate number of Black American deaths in this country. These deaths have
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. .
It all started with the death of Trayvon Martin. Trayvon Martin was talking on the phone when he realized someone was following him. Scared for his life, he decided to run. George Zimmerman, the man who was following Trayvon Martin, called the police and claimed there was a suspicious man in the neighborhood. He was advised to stay in the car, but instead, he confronted Martin. The confrontation ended with Zimmerman shooting and killing Martin. After many trials and protests, the jury decided that George Zimmerman was not guilty. Outraged by the outcome of the trial, Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi looked to social media for support and created "#BlackLivesMatter." At the time, critics though
Black Lives Matter is an international activist movement that started within the African-American communities. This movement is organized by Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi. Ever since the black people have stepped on American soil, they have continued to be victims of racism and violence. From slavery to lynching to segregation, the black people have suffered alot in this country. In the past few years, there are so many of them that have been targeted by the law enforcement authorities across the country. This movement’s goal is to raise awareness of racism and violence against African-Americans. They wants African-American to live with dignity and respect like other Americans do.