Black Lives Matter is a U.S.-based international movement co-founded by three black women activist/organizers: Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi.[1]
Description
The #BlackLivesMatter movement began as a hashtag after George Zimmerman's acquittal for the shooting death of Trayvon Martin in 2013, and gained momentum after the shooting of Michael Brown, the shooting of John Crawford III, and the death of Eric Garner, all in 2014. Currently, there are 23 Black Lives Matter chapters in the U.S., Canada, and Ghana.[2] Black Lives Matter is "a unique contribution that goes beyond extrajudicial killings of Black people by police and vigilantes" and the organization states that "Black Lives Matter affirms the lives of Black queer and trans folks, disabled folks, black-undocumented folks, folks with records, women and all Black lives along the gender spectrum."[3] The movement has received worldwide media attention due to its massive scope and ongoing existence. Protesters and protest organizers have met with U.S. President Barack Obama and other prominent leaders to demand an end to racial profiling, police brutality, mass incarceration, and demilitarization of many U.S. police departments.
As of January 28, 2015, at least 672 "Black Lives Matter" demonstrations have been held worldwide.[4] In August 2014, during Labor Day weekend, #BlackLivesMatter organized a 'Freedom Ride' that brought more than 500 black people from across the nation into Ferguson, Missouri, to support the work being done on the ground by local organizations.[5] #BlackLivesMatter members and supporters rode in from New York City, Newark, Boston, Chicago, Columbus, Miami, Detroit, Houston, Oakland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Nashville, Portland, Tucson, Washington, D.C., and more, in a similar way to that of the Freedom Riders in the 1960s.[6] In December 2014, at least 20 members of a protest that had been using the slogan were arrested at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota.[7]
The American Dialect Society chose the hashtag form of the phrase as their word of the year for 2014.[8]
The movement has inspired other campaigns with similar aims. "Muslim Lives Matter" was a campaign on Twitter which received media attention following the Chapel Hill shooting in February 2015.[9]
See also
References
External links
- ↑ Hunt, Jazelle: Black Lives Still Matters to Grassroots and Black Media. In: Black Voice News. 13. Januar 2015, abgerufen am 5. Februar 2015.
- ↑ Segalov, Michael: We Spoke to the Activist Behind #BlackLivesMatter About Racism in Britain and America. In: Vice. 2. Februar 2015, abgerufen am 5. Februar 2015.
- ↑ Black Lives Matter About.
- ↑ 2014-15 Black Lives Matter Demonstrations. In: Elephrame. Abgerufen am 28. Januar 2015.
- ↑ Solomon, Akiba: Get on the Bus: Inside the Black Lives Matter ‘Freedom Ride’ to Ferguson. In: Colorlines. 5. September 2014, abgerufen am 5. Februar 2015.
- ↑ Cullors, Patrisse and Moore, Darnell L: 5 ways to never forget Ferguson – and deliver real justice for Michael Brown. In: The Guardian. 4. September 2014, abgerufen am 5. Februar 2015.
- ↑ Brumfield, Ben: Protesters' chants of 'Black Lives Matter' echo at megamall; at least 20 arrested. In: CNN. 21. Dezember 2014, abgerufen am 21. Dezember 2014.
- ↑ Johnson: Words of the year (#BlackLivesMatter), The Economist.
- ↑ Adam Withnall: Chapel Hill shooting: 'Muslim lives matter' campaign returns after deaths in North Carolina In: The Independent, 11 February 2015. Abgerufen im 13 February 2015