#BlackLivesMatter

#BlackLivesMatter
Name	Black Lives Matter
Founded	2013
Founders	Alicia Garza; Patrisse Cullors; Opal Tometi
Location	United States; global
Causes	Police violence; racial justice; criminal justice reform

#BlackLivesMatter is a decentralized movement advocating for the rights of African Americans and addressing racialized policing, mass incarceration, and systemic racism. Emerging after high-profile deaths in the 2010s, the movement has influenced protests, electoral politics, cultural debates, and legislative reforms across the United States and internationally. Activists, artists, politicians, legal scholars, and civil rights organizations have engaged with the movement in diverse and sometimes conflicting ways.

Origins and History

The movement began after the 2012 shooting of Trayvon Martin and the 2013 acquittal of George Zimmerman, with founders Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi responding to public discourse shaped by figures and events such as Angela Davis, James Baldwin, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Black Panther Party, and the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement. Early mass mobilization followed the 2014 deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown, which prompted protests in New York City and Ferguson, Missouri and drew national attention from journalists, legal advocates like Bryan Stevenson, prosecutors such as Eric Holder, and municipal leaders including Rahm Emanuel. Subsequent waves of activism were catalyzed by the 2015 death of Freddie Gray, the 2016 police shootings of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling, and the 2020 murder of George Floyd, which produced global demonstrations echoing solidarity actions in cities like London, Paris, Toronto, Berlin, and Johannesburg and engaged cultural institutions such as NBA, NFL, Hollywood celebrities, and grassroots groups.

Goals and Principles

Advocates frame demands through policy proposals, abolitionist critiques, and community-based safety models influenced by thinkers and organizations including Angela Davis, Abolitionism, Movement for Black Lives, NAACP, ACLU, Southern Poverty Law Center, and legal scholars connected to universities like Harvard University and Yale University. Stated goals range from ending police killings and ending mass incarceration to reallocating public funds to social services and investing in education and housing in neighborhoods represented by leaders such as Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and activists associated with groups like Black Youth Project 100 and Color of Change. Strategic priorities have drawn upon campaigns for reforms promoted by elected officials including Barack Obama, Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as well as community alternatives advocated by organizations like CURE Violence and legal initiatives pursued by firms and nonprofits in litigation against municipal agencies.

Major Protests and Campaigns

Notable demonstrations include the 2014 unrest in Ferguson, Missouri after a grand jury decision in the Michael Brown shooting, the 2015 rallies after Freddie Gray’s death in Baltimore, the 2016 protests after Philando Castile and Alton Sterling’s killings, the 2017 actions around the trial of Philando Castile’s officer and the 2018 protests against police actions in cities like Chicago and St. Louis, culminating in the 2020 worldwide mobilization after George Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis officer that pressured municipal governments in Minneapolis and Minneapolis City Council and influenced policy debates in state capitols such as Sacramento and St. Paul. Campaigns included calls for "defund" measures debated in city councils like Portland City Council and New York City Council and ballot initiatives tied to criminal justice reform in states like California and New York State. Cultural moments involved partnerships with entertainers and institutions including Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Ava DuVernay, Spike Lee, Netflix, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.

Organization and Leadership

The movement is decentralized with national and local formations, including the co-founders Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi, regional groups affiliated with Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, and allied organizations like Movement for Black Lives, Black Youth Project 100, Women's March, Showing Up for Racial Justice, and community organizations in municipalities such as Chicago, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Atlanta. Leadership styles range from grassroots collectives to nonprofit boards that interact with philanthropic institutions such as the Ford Foundation and Open Society Foundations and with labor unions such as SEIU and AFL–CIO. Scholars and public intellectuals including Ta-Nehisi Coates, Cornel West, Ibram X. Kendi, and Michelle Alexander have influenced strategy and messaging, while elected figures like Stacey Abrams and Ilhan Omar have engaged with movement priorities.

Criticism and Controversies

Critiques have come from conservative politicians such as Donald Trump, centrist commentators including The Atlantic columnists and policy analysts at think tanks like Brookings Institution and Heritage Foundation, and some civil rights leaders such as Al Sharpton and Ben Carson who debated tactics and rhetoric. Controversies include debates over calls to "defund" police versus reform, financial governance questions within nonprofit affiliates, high-profile encounters involving law enforcement and protesters in locales like Portland, Oregon and Minneapolis–Saint Paul, and disagreements over electoral strategies involving figures like Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Legal cases and investigations have implicated municipal agencies and sparked litigation involving state attorneys general and civil rights litigators in courts such as the United States Supreme Court and federal district courts.

Impact on Policy and Society

The movement influenced municipal policy adjustments, consent decrees enforced by the Department of Justice, policing reforms in cities like Seattle and Minneapolis, and legislative proposals at statehouses including reforms in New York State and California. It affected electoral politics by shaping platforms of politicians such as Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, and local officials in municipal elections, and it transformed corporate and cultural practices across media companies like Disney, sports leagues such as the NBA and NFL, and academic institutions including Columbia University and Howard University. Academic research by scholars at institutions like Princeton University and University of Chicago has documented shifts in public opinion, policing statistics, and civic engagement tied to the movement, while international solidarity actions linked to governments and NGOs in countries including United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, and South Africa reflected global resonance.

Category:Social movements