#BlackLivesMatters is more than a hashtag, it is a social liberation movement. Coming to fruition in 2012 after the infamous Trayvon Martin murder case, Black Lives Matter was born as a reaction to the great injustice this case displayed towards a young black teen. As a social movement Black Lives Matter uses multiple communicative methods to spread their message. By combining traditional methods like peaceful protests called StandUp in their events calendar, with contemporary communication applications like Twitter, Black Lives Matter has gained much support and power. The key to the buzzing conversation surrounding Black Lives Matter can be attributed to their integration of popular communicative techniques, specifically Twitter. By combining …show more content…
The night of the incident Zimmerman claimed self defence, he was brought in to the station for only 5 hours and let free after the questioning commenced. This, plus the fact that media outlets avoided covering the story for a month after it occurred, shows how from the beginning Trayvon 's case was not given fair treatment, within the police offices as well as in the media. As fires were already boiling within Americans over the 2009 Oscar Grant case, which felt too eerily too similar to Trayvon 's 2012 case. The death of a young black american caused by a white male, who does not receive accurate punishment. Although these events did majority contribute to the birth of Black Lives Matter, Alicia Garza, the founder, states that “#BlackLivesMatter is a unique contribution that goes beyond extrajudicial killings of Black people by police and vigilantes. It goes beyond the narrow nationalism that can be prevalent within some Black communities, which merely call on Black people to love Black, live Black, and buy Black, keeping straight [cisgender] Black men in the front of the movement while our sisters, queer and trans, and disabled folk take up roles in the background or not at all.” (Shor,
On the night of February 26, 2012 “George Zimmerman who was the coordinator for his Sanford neighborhood watch association is charged with second-degree murder in the death of a young boy. Trayvon Martin, an unarmed high school student from Miami, Florida. (Alvarez) The case began in a small city of Sanford as a routine homicide but soon evolved into a civil rights case, examining racial profiling. On the night of the attack Zimmerman was told not to get out of his car when he was following Trayvon. He described Trayvon as a “guy who looks up to no good, or he’s on drugs or something” Trayvon had his back to Zimmerman the whole time he was on the phone with the Dispatcher, from what the conversation was saying. When the dispatcher asked Zimmerman “is the guy white, black, or Hispanic? “Zimmerman says that he “looks” black, Zimmerman still has yet to see if Trayvon was black, white, or even Hispanic because Trayvon was walking the other direction. Later on in the conversation is when Zimmerman said “now he’s just staring at me”. That would have been the right time to mention the race of Trayvon. As the dispatcher was asking mo...
Thousands of black teenage males die in gun crimes every year. Many of the teenagers that are killed aren’t even 18 years old. The children and teen killed in 2008 and 2009 could fill more than 229 classrooms. Gun homicide is the number one cause of death for African American male. Trayvon Martin is a perfect example of gun homicide killing our black males. Trayvon Martin was a 17 year old, who was walking home from the 711 on a rainy night. When he was walking, he saw George Zimmerman who was following him and asking him where he was going. When Trayvon began to run, Zimmerman chased him and shot Trayvon Martin because he assumed Trayvon was doing something he wasn’t supposed to be doing. “George Zimm...
The black community has suffered from years of social inequality and oppression. Social issues such as the criminalization of black males is a frequent problem in society. These social issues highlight the reforms that need to be done to ensure that the nation is not consistently targeting and prejudging others based on their race, especially when dealing with legal authorities. Widespread awareness of recent deaths of black males reveals many unaddressed social issues including “justifiable homicides.” In an attempt to fight against inequality and end violence against African Americans, three women created an international activist movement using the hashtag #blackLivesMatter. This movement goes beyond the extrajudicial killings of black people;
The newly formed, Black Lives Matter movement, campaigns against violence towards black people. BLM regularly organizes protests around the deaths of black people in killings by law enforcement officers, racial profiling, police brutality, and inequality in the U.S. criminal justice system. The movement was the brain child of Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi that sprouted from the hash tag #BlackLivesMatter after the acquittal of George Zimmerman. BLM became nationally known for its street demonstrations following the deaths of two Black Americans: Michael Brown (Ferguson, Missouri) and Eric Garner (NYC, New York). However, unlike the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s, the Black Lives Matter movement is a decentralized network that has no formal structure. In a modern age where news spreads like wild fire, social media is the new base for discussion on racial bias, not only in the legal system, but rather, in society as a whole. Its because of this that the Black Lives Matter movement has been able gain immense support from the younger population and has been able to grow in such a short period of time. (Garcia, 2015.). In the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement social media movement, the “All Lives Matter” movement gained headway as well. The Black Lives Matter campaign pertains particularly to
Today there are many controversial subjects discussed throughout the media. One of the most discussed is race and the Black Lives Matter movement. Recently, I came across an article titled “The Truth of ‘Black Lives Matter’”, written by The Editorial Board. The article was published on September 3, 2015, to the New York Times. In the article, The Editorial Board writes about what they believe African Americans are facing as challenges in society today, including the all-too-common police killings of unarmed African-Americans across the country. The Editorial Board is right that some African Americans have been treated unfairly, but all ethnicities have been. Life is a precious thing that comprises all ethnicities. This brings us to ask; why
American is known for its rich culture and diversity. Black lives matter (BLM) is an international activist movement, originating in the African-American community, that campaigns against violence and systemic racism toward black people as defined by google. It was created in 2012 as a call to action for black people after seventeen year old Trayvon Martin was placed on trial for his own murder and the killer, George Zimmerman, was not held accountable for the crime that he had committed. It was a response for the anti-Black racism that still remains in our society and within the movement itself. It is a movement that goes beyond the killing of black people by police and vigilantes. It calls for the Black community to love each other, live
This movement is called “Black Lives Matter”. The people who were responsible for the creation of this hashtag, which then expanded to be a movement, were three women: Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi. The way that the people are being used in this topic area is that it implies this notion. In this topic area, “Black Lives Matter” refers to African-Americans who are treated unfairly and blamed for the things that doesn’t have anything to do with them.
Most of us have been taught that we always need to be on our best behavior and try to understand and value different views. I am going to exercise my right to protest by refusing to understand why some of my fellow classmates, sharing a classroom with me because just like me they are on a quest for knowledge, find it difficult to grasp the concept of Black Lives matter. Stop saying all lives matter. We already know that. Black Lives Matter is not an anti-white slogan meant to suggest that other lives do not matter, especially white lives. It is a movement to address the racial disparities practiced by law enforcement agencies throughout our nation. For anyone to say all lives matter is to be willfully ignorant and deny the existence of racism,
The social and civil outcries of the Black Lives Matter movement were spread using memes on popular social media websites such as Twitter and Facebook. Activists used videos to bring attention to the problems many people of color, specifically African Americans deal with in their daily lives. Activists also participate in protest and rallies to gain support. Slogans such as, "Black Lives Matter", "No justice, no peace", "Hands up don 't shoot", "White silence is violence", and "I can 't breathe", are commonly used in protest, rallies, and die-ins held by Black Lives Matter
There are many problems in today’s world, one of which is the existence of racism. Obviously it has improved dramatically over time, however racism is still out there in our every day lives. The movement Black Lives Matter has spread nationwide attracting the attention of many different parties. Black Lives Matter has had a large impact on the whole country with many people taking different stances on it.
In the national registration of exoneration, 2111 people being released for a crime they didn't commit. Out of the 2111 people, 985 were black and the other 1126 were a combination of caucasian, hispanic and others. The statistics shows that, almost half of the people exonerated were innocent black people. A black person that is convicted of murdering a white victim is 50% more likely to be innocent of that crime. The law enforcement targeting black males, as caused society to see black males in a dangerous point of view. The story Trayvon Martin, a 17 year old boy who was gunned down because his killer George zimmerman chose to not listen to the police instruction. On his way home after buying a bag of skittles and a can of iced tea from 7-eleven Trayvon was approached by Zimmerman. Zimmerman confronted Trayvon because he suspected him of doing something, which resulted in both men fighting on the floor. Tayvion was killed during this altercation by Zimmerman’s gun, and zimmerman was arrested for it. Even after ignoring the police instruction of not to approach Trayvon, he was released on the plea of self defense. According to Blow (2012), “One other point:Trayvon is black Zimmerman is not.” In making this case, Blow acknowledge the theory of how the death of black males are not taken seriously by law
Black Lives Matter is an international activist movement, originating in the African American community. It campaigns against violence toward black people and has become a uniting call for an innovative chapter in the black freedom fight. The clearance of Trayvon Martin’s killer in 2013 and the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014 stimulated this movement. Black Lives Matter isn’t just about the loss of Black lives; but mainly about the lack of consequences when African American lives are taken by Caucasian officers. The question is; do black lives truly matter to those that claim to protect it? The answer is no they do not because the movement’s alleged “peaceful” protests continuously
Overall, many believe that the undeviating war on racism in today’s society is fueled by police brutality and anti-police violence. Specifically, The Black Lives Matter movement which is the source of controversy regarding these topics. To summarize, this campaign is “both a hashtag and a political project that formed after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the 2012 killing of Trayvon Martin.” (Miller). Later in the article Chelsea Fuller, senior communication associate of The Advancement project which is a multi-racial civil rights organization, states “The Black Lives Matter movement is to deal with anti-black racism, to “push for black people’s right to live with dignity and respect” and be included in the American democracy that they helped create” (Miller). In discussions of The Black Lives Matter movement, a controversial
Black Lives Matter is not a bandwagon to hop on, nor is it a hashtag or a slogan. Black Lives Matter is a movement. To not support the movement or to think that the movement does not need support is outright depraved, demeaning and degrading. We too often think that retweeting, tweeting or sharing a photo on social media is supporting the movement and it’s not! This is no longer the 1960’s. We have gained our rights: that is no longer the fight. The fight is receiving justice for our black people, so no effective protesting is no longer sitting at countertops, it is no longer peaceful marching and it is no longer bus boycotting The new protest is to educate ourselves, to show respect, to get involved in the justice system, to raise black lawyers, to vote and to do jury duty. All of these things are needed to benefit the movement in stopping the corruptness in our justice system.
He also noted that White people in Coldville refuse to believe in racism (2008:121). Anthropologists Rosemarie Roberts, Lee Bell, and Brett Murphy report on the experiences of youth in the New York City education system. With social media being one of the most efficient ways to disseminate news, stories of unfairness towards people of color have been brought to light and commented on by many. The recent social media theme titled “#BlackLivesMatter” has been both positively and negatively received. This hashtag was created in response to the violence shown towards hundreds of Black people in the Southern states of America.