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Introduction
The Black Lives Matter movement is one of recent history’s most famous and most relevant social movements. It has garnered attention from people from different backgrounds and walks of life and has elicited long-overdue conversations on racial inequality, the fairness of the criminal justice system, and more.
The sample essay below outlines the history of the BLM movement and the ways that it has shifted global perspectives.
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The History of #BlackLivesMatter and Its Impact on the African-American Community
As one of the most notable social movements in world history, the Black Lives Matter movement has created significant waves across the globe and has generated long-overdue talks regarding the issue of racial inequality and institutional racism, particularly in the lives of black people.
Early Beginnings of the BLM Movement
The movement began in the United States in 2013, when the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter was popularized due to the highly sensationalized George Zimmerman acquittal. The case involved the murderous shooting of black teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012. The killing apparently stemmed from an argument that broke out between Martin and Zimmerman, who was a neighborhood-watch volunteer in Sanford, Florida.
Zimmerman found the unarmed teenager suspicious and, even after being warned not to make a move, followed Martin and triggered the incident. He even defended himself when the authorities arrived, claiming that he only did it out of self-defense. His release then triggered a series of protests nationwide and the movement was born.
Following this pioneering case were other similar cases. Jumpstarting the expansion of the movement starting in 2014 were the police brutality and killings of black men Eric Garner and Michael Brown. Garner was the victim of the notorious “prolonged chokehold” of a white policeman, while Brown was also the victim of a gun shooting. Another victim of the prolonged chokehold was George Floyd in 2020.
These incited large-scale protests and rallies and captured the attention of the rest of the world. From this point forward, there was an increase in public sensitivity and awareness on police brutality, especially if it was related to black people.
The Mission of #BlackLivesMatter
First and foremost, the Black Lives Matter movement seeks to underscore the issues of racial profiling and racial discrimination among black people. They want to call attention to the unfair treatment of the African-American community in society and how many of these issues are not just surface-level but are systemic in nature. They believe that current laws and mandates actually support anti-Black racism and contribute towards the perpetuation of it.
To be more specific, the BLM Movement aims to address the tragic reality of police brutality, which has taken so many black lives and impacted the lives of the families who have suffered a loss. It also wants to challenge the way that localities of minorities are over-supervised, as well as the incidents of abuse that happen within for-profit jails. They want to see better police training, as well as reallocating excesses in police budgets towards servicing the community with relevant programs.
Methods and Approaches of the Movement
The Black Lives Matter movement primarily takes on a peaceful, non-violent, yet firm approach. Some of the ways in which it has gotten its campaign message across are through letter-writing, protests, and rallies, as well as getting involved in political discussions. They also bring to the forefront Black artists and authors, celebrating their work in the mission they stand for.
Despite their non-violent style, the presentation of the message tends to be in-your-face, direct, and confrontational. The goal is to speak the truth in a way that makes people uncomfortable and provoked to either think about it or take action themselves. They use the message of disruption – interrupting a normal way of life and boldly relaying a difficult and sensitive message that forces people to pay attention.
One specific example of this style is the “look back,” a method in which BLM protesters look into the eyes of the police for a prolonged period of time, signifying their defiance to and disapproval of police intimidation. It also echoes the suffering that black people have experienced at the hands of white policemen, as historically eye contact between the two has been known to escalate conflict and tension.
Another provocative means of relaying the message of BLM is the performance piece by BLM artists called “Mirror Casket.” It is a chilling and thought-provocative piece where art performers carry a casket enveloped with cracked mirrors taken from where Michael Brown was murdered. The objective was for the police to take a look at the mirror pieces and see themselves as a reflection of how racial profiling spreads because of them.
The challenging and out-of-the-box style of #BlackLivesMatter has received mixed reviews. Some criticism it has received include calling the approach all about being disruptive and making noise. The way that it stirs up internal discomfort does not sit well with everyone.
Conclusion
The unfolding story of the Black Lives Matter movement is a reminder that something great happens when people from all walks of life come together to stand for something good. Racism against black people has existed long before the movement came about, and BLM is but the magnified voice that has finally spoken up. From unarmed African Americans being shot to death to black kids being violently bullied at school on a daily basis, there are countless stories that make up the reasons behind this social movement.
Thanks to BLM, more attention is also now being directed to other minorities. Other people who suffer from certain types of inequality are now sharing the spotlight and are getting the attention that they should have been getting in the first place. BLM not only made an impact on the black community. Their influence crossed other spheres of society that desperately also need empathy.
FAQs
What is the origin of the BlackLivesMatter movement?
The starting point of Black Lives Matter stems from the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s killer, George Zimmerman. A neighborhood-watch volunteer, Zimmerman perceived Martin to be suspicious when he saw him in their neighborhood. He was instructed not to take action, but Zimmerman defied this and chose to approach Martin, who was unarmed. The initial approach resulted in a back-and-forth and ended with Martin shot dead.
All the way until his final trial, Zimmerman insisted that he was simply defending himself. His release sparked the beginning of the use of the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter and triggered the nationwide and global call to end racial profiling. Protests started being staged to support this cause.
How is the BlackLivesMatter movement related to civil rights?
The BLM movement and the Civil Rights movement share two things that they consistently wrestled with: systemic racism and oppression. In fact, there are some who see BLM as today’s Civil Rights movement. They both took a stand for a pervasive societal ailment that long-needed addressing and highlighted these went beyond mere incidents. They called them out as a deeply-rooted issue that needed to be confronted and addressed, with its victims supported and empathized with.
One could say that BLM is a step forward from the original movement, speaking the truth that race has become an insignificant issue today when it should be at the top of people’s priorities. It is an effort to shift people away from color-blindness, into color-consciousness.