Why Did The Black Lives Matter Movement Begin? How Did It Come About?

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.

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.

In the Black Lives Matter movement, we simply try to encourage and show others that our lives matter. This movement advocates justice, peace and fairness.

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.

In 2014, Michael Brown was gunned down in the streets of Ferguson, Missouri by a white police officer which quickly sparked protests across the nation (Chernega, 2016). The Governor declared Missouri in a state of emergency in fear of what may happen after the grand jury decided on the fate of Officer Darren Wilson. After over 100 days of trial the jury decided to not convict the officer of murder and there was an immediate response of the public. Activists began using hashtag Black Lives Matter to bring attention to these violent incidents as well as the continual systematic abuse of black members of society by the police. Violence, such as this, against black males are learned though a socially instilled view of race.

In 2015 alone there has been over 300 murders by policemen. At least 33% of the individuals were unarmed. African Americans just happen to be 3 times more likely to be killed by police than whites. In fact, 17 of the 100 largest cities in the United States are where black men were killed at higher rates that the United States murder rate in 2014. Majority of the time blacks are suspected of violent crimes or being armed with guns or other weapons. In such cases police have a better chance of being acquitted of all charges rather face any jail time.

It’s a warm summer day in the congested streets of Staten Island, New York. Eric Garner, a black man, is at his usual spot in front of his local gas station illegally selling cigarettes, when Officer Pantaleo, a white man, questions Garner for Garner’s illegal activity. “Every time you see me you want to arrest me, I’m tired of this, this stops today…I didn’t do nothing”, shouts Garner at the officer. Garner is then tackled and placed into a chokehold by the police, and exclaims that he cannot breathe. Garner dies soon after. Similarly, after that incident, Michael Brown, a black man, was killed by a white police officer. From these two incidents, the Black Lives Matter movement began. From its beginning, Black Lives Matter has placed emphasis

In July 2013, George Zimmerman, a self-proclaimed Florida neighborhood watchman and self-proclaimed vigilante, was acquitted in the death of Trayvon Martin, a 17 year old black teenager. This was the initial impetus for the Black Lives Matter movement, which first appeared as a hashtag after Zimmerman’s acquittal. The movement, which has its roots in social media, has since grown to hold a much larger place in our national conscience. The movement’s place was solidified with its vocal responses subsequent deaths of black men and women in the US, including Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, Sandra Bland in Hempstead, Texas, and Eric Garner on Staten Island. The movement’s presence has become ever present in American life, remaining an ostensibly perpetual presence on Twitter, Facebook, as well as within cable news and manifesting in frequent actual demonstrations. Black Lives Matter is not necessarily a coordinated movement, but rather a seemingly organically occurring response to normalized violence and racism directed towards black Americans. The movement has reflected this decentralized nature by incorporating a variety of protest tactics. These have sometimes deviated from non-violence, a tendency the Reverend John Richard Bryant ascribes to a deep frustration with continued violence maintained against blacks. Indeed, the goals of the movement can be as varied as its tactics. They range from addressing police brutality towards blacks, addressing the underlying

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.

Following the Trayvon Martin trial in 2012, the movement sprang into action calling for the recognition of the multitude of ways in which Black people are intentionally left powerless at the hands of the state, “We are talking about the ways in which Black lives are deprived of our basic human rights and dignity” (BLACK LIVES MATTER). Trayvon Martin was a 17-year-old black male, that was considered to be lawfully shot by George Zimmerman under the right to carry act. The story was surrounded by a variety of outlooks, racial tension, and questions of humanity. While the movement was ignited by the death of Trayvon Martin, the movement was not just one that called for the broadening of conversation around state violence against Black males, but rather it called for the affirmation of all Black lives and their collective

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

In 2013, what started as a Facebook post stating “Black Lives Matter” stemming from the death of a 17-year-old boy who was shot in Florida would develop into a movement over a year later. The Black Lives Matter movement would be heard loud and clear nationwide after an 18-year-old boy was killed by an officer in Ferguson Missouri in 2014 which provoked grief and outrage as many recognized that this killing was just the latest in a long and rapidly growing succession of cases involving police use of lethal force against unarmed people of color. With the outpour of these protest, law enforcement would be targeted with animosity and hateful chants such as “Pigs in a blanket, fry-em like bacon” and “What do we want? Dead Cops!” (Blackwell, 2016).

Black Lives Matter came from a hashtag twitter from there it begun to expand. The story behind this hashtag, as a call to action for black people right after the 17- year old Trayvon Martin was post-humanly placed on trial for his own murder and the killer, George Zimmerman, was told not held accountable for the crime he committed . Black Lives Matter is a social justice topic because is that is still happening is being talked about, more people are getting more and more involved supporting it. They also mentioned is "The growth of a New Social Justice Movement.

Michael Brown was an 18 year old black man, who was fatally shot by Darren Wilson, a white Ferguson police officer. Brown was accused of strong arm robbing, of a convenience store when he was shot at least six times, including twice in the head and four times in his right arm. A witness of the shooting stated in an interview that Michael Brown “didn’t have any weapons in his hand as he was walking toward the police officer” (Witness 17). According to this witness, Michael Brown was unarmed when he was shot by a police officer. Black Lives Matter protests against police violence in cases like Browns. The police are also closely linked with the prosecutors in court. For this reason, in cases involving police officers, prosecution is often delayed. An article in the New York Times reads “that prosecutors and police officers work closely together everyday creates a conflict of interest. It makes it difficult for many prosecutors to vigorously pursue cases of police wrongdoing” (“Voters Tell D.A.s, Black Lives Matter”). Through their protesting, Black Lives Matter wants this to change. They want cases involving police officers to be treated the same way as cases not involving police

And yes, black people in the United States are more likely to be victims of violent confrontations with police officers (per capita) than their white counterparts. But let’s dive deeper into why this is.