Black Lives Matter is an international social movement dedicated to fighting racism and violence against African Americans, especially in the form of police brutality. In 2012, three radical Black organizers, Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi, started the Black Lives Matter movement. On February 26, 2012, Trayvon Martin, an unarmed, African American teen walking home from a trip to a convenience store, was fatally shot by police officer George Zimmerman. In response to this tragic and heart-wrenching event, Alicia Garza wrote “Black lives matter” on a Facebook post, never imagining that those words would come to define a global movement. These three words are a cry to dismantle white supremacy, end racially targeted violence, and fix the broken system in which black people struggle simply because of the color of their skin.
The Black Lives Matter movement expanded in 2014 after the police killings of two unarmed African American men, Eric Garner and Michael Brown. Eric Garner died in Staten Island, New York, on July 17, 2014, after a white police officer held him in a prolonged illegal chokehold. This appalling incident ended in a fatal asthma attack for Garner. Michael Brown, an 18-year old teenager, was shot and killed by a white police officer on August 9, 2014, in Ferguson, Missouri. People poured in the streets of New York and Missouri, demanding justice for Micheal Brown and Eric Garner. Large protests of these ruthless deaths in the name of Black Lives Matter gained national and international attention. More recently, a 46-year-old African-American man, George, Floyd, died after being handcuffed and pinned to the ground by a white police officer’s knee in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A disturbing cellphone video captures the white police officer, who goes by Derek Chauvin, kneeling on Floyd’s neck for seven minutes. In an echo of the murder of Eric Garner, in 2014, Geroge Floyd repeatedly says, “I can’t breathe,” and then, “I’m about to die.” The video of Floyd’s death is horrific but not surprising, as it is periodically reenacted in the US.
This past year, millions of people across the country and abroad called for police reform and demanded justice while also mourning the death of yet another unarmed black person murdered by the hands of a police officer. Part of what makes George Floyd’s death so horrifying is that it happened so shortly after the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor. Both Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor were unarmed and died at the hands of law enforcement. The vast majority of the protests were peaceful, with simple demands, like “Enough is enough” and “Stop killing us,” handwritten on torn pieces of cardboard. In cities across the country, from Los Angeles to New York, protestors chanted “Black Lives Matter,” and tried to make their voices heard. The police officers involved in George Floyd’s killing were fired, and Derek Chauvin, the officer whose knee was on Floyd’s neck, was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. However, that did not do enough to stop people from taking to the streets and demanding more significant changes surrounding this ongoing issue in the U.S.
As the Black Lives Matter movement has gained more and more recognition since its origin in 2012, some have fired back at the statement by saying “All Lives Matter,” failing to acknowledge how this message minimizes the movement for equality and ignores the racial divide within the US. The point of Black Lives Matter isn't to suggest that black lives should be or are more important than all other lives. Instead, it’s simply pointing out that the lives of black people are and have been disregarded time and time again, and the country needs to recognize that. In fact, studies show that black people, primarily black men, are killed by a rate of about 3 to 1 compared to white people by police officers annually. It has been going on for decades now, but due to the increased use of cellphones and social media, people are able to capture these callous moments and raise awareness. The most important things that the Black Lives Matter Movement can do next is to educate America about colorblind racism, change public opinion, and gain support. It’s up to us to channel our rage, frustration, and sadness over these events into action and change.