The Power Of Protest: An Analysis Of The Black Lives Matter Movement
Racism has always been a concern in the world that needs much attention for obvious reasons. It creates a plethora of complexities and makes it difficult for some people to survive. In order to curb these issues, the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement was started in 2013 in the United States.
It was mainly dedicated to mitigating anti-Black violence and highlighting the importance of black lives. The most used slogan, “Black Lives Matter,” highlights the condemnation of Black people who were killed unjustly either by the police or authority. The issue arose to the extent that people had to come down to the streets and march together to fight back against the injustices.
History Of The Movement
In early 2013, the BLM movement emerged as an online movement that Patrisse Khan Cullors, Opal Tometi, and Alicia Garza initially founded. Initially, they were Black community organizers and formed the movement after the U.S. police acquitted Geoge Zimmerman on charges of fatally shooting Trayvon Martin.
Zimmerman was a man of Peruvian and German descent, whereas Martin was a Black Teenager who lived in Florida. The former was a watch volunteer in the neighborhood and had already called the police upon Martin because of his “suspicious” looks. After constant events, Zimmerman approached Martin and shot him after a heated argument.
After the arrival of law enforcement, Zimmerman claimed that Martin had assaulted him and that the fire was to self-defend himself. He was free for weeks, but this event gained traction, and he was charged in April 2012 on account of a second-degree murder. He was acquitted in July 2013, which resulted in more public outrage and a consequent series of protests.
What Happened Next?
In 2014, there was a turn in the Black Lives Matter movement when the police killed two other unarmed Black men, Michael Brown and Eric Garner. Garner was killed by a white policeman in Staten Island, New York, the footage of which was captured by a bystander. Apparently, the latter choked Garner to death.
On the other hand, Michael Brown was a teenager who was shot in Ferguson, Missouri, by another white policeman. These deaths, along with the court’s decision not to charge the prosecutors, resulted in what was expected- a massive protest. Eventually, this was named the BLM movement and captured global attention.
An Account Of Other Black Men Killings: George Floyd
Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, and Michael Brown were not the only black people killed at the hands of whites in the name of racism. Sadly, the list is too big- Sandra Bland, Walter Scott, Laquan McDonald, and others.
George Floyd, another Black descendant, was killed in May 2020. Derek Chauvin, who was a police officer in Minneapolis and also white in origin, apparently killed him by kneeling on his neck for nine straight minutes. All this while, Floyd kept telling him that he could not breathe.
A bystander, luckily, got this captured as a video, and it was circulated heavily among people. This triggered outrage not only in the United States but in the entire world. People were furious about one after the other deaths of black men, and they wanted to put an end to it through this movement.
Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery
Ahmaud Arbery was jogging in Georgia in 2020 when two people, also white, followed him in a truck. Apparently, these men thought Arbery committed a lot of break-ins, and they confronted Arbery with guns. After failed efforts, there was a fatal shooting that eventually killed Ahmaud.
Just the next month, Taylor, a medical technician, was found dead in Louisville, Kentucky. Allegedly, her apartment had a botched police raid, after which she was killed. Both these deaths also triggered the sentiments of people all over the world, and they became a part of the entire Black Lives Matter protest.
The Mission Of “Black Lives Matter”
Black Lives Matter was a result of various incidents, and thus, the goal is not restricted. Activists of this movement mainly focused on how Black men are treated in society and how the law sectors are also not in their favor. The biasedness towards white men or, rather, white criminals was the main concern back then.
Although the BLM movement was a success to some extent, racism was fought only through letter-written campaigns and political actions. It seeks to address police brutality in situations that were framed as deliberate crimes along with the committed abuses and over-policing in minority neighborhoods.
A few activists also demand police defunding, which means reducing the budgets of police departments and investigating their freed-up funds. While most of these government contributions should go towards conflict-resolution programs, they were misused by various policemen. Ultimately, the goal was to stop abuses committed by the people in authority.
BLM protesters have made collaborative efforts on voter registration as well as get-out-the-vote campaigns for Black communities. Additionally, BLM programs also celebrated writers and artists who were looked down upon because of their minority belonging.
Two Sides Of The Coin: Criticism and Support
Every social movement has two sides to it- some believers support the cause, while some critics find flaws in it. The BLM movement wasn’t an exception either. Support for the movement often went down due to political influence or racial lines.
Statistically, Japanese-Haitian and African-American communities showed the maximum support towards the cause. In contrast, whites had the least support, which was less than 50%. It all continued to get even more dramatic when some Republicans supported Black Lives Matter, and others believed that it promoted violence.
- The NBA- Supporters
NBA players have shown massive support for the entire BLM movement, and stars like Jamal Murray and LeBron James are proof. Not only did they extend their support, but they also called off their scheduled playoff match against Orlando. They protested the murder of Blake, a Wisconsin 29-year-old, who was shot by police several times.
- Porsha Williams
Porsha Williams, who starred in the Real Housewives of Atlanta, also took part in the protest. She was found on Georgia’s streets with placards and boards demanding justice. According to her IG post, a team of peaceful protestors joined the activists and threw pepper spray bombs at them. Police went ahead and arrested her for taking part in the protest after Breonna Taylor was killed in her apartment.
- Barbara Reynolds- Critic
Barbara Reynolds wrote a particular critical column in 2015’s Washington Post, stating her disagreement with the BLM movement. According to her, she was also a civil rights activist back in 1960, but BLM was not what she strongly believed in. She might have been in favor of the cause, but the movement’s approach was not too favorable.
- Rachel S.Ferguson- Critic
She says she is furious at the entire hype of Black Lives Matter, but not for obvious reasons. Rachel says that activists focus on other trivial things rather than on the most important thing about the movement, which is reforming policing. She finds the entire police system’s reformation negligible by the protestors, which might be the root cause of racism.
Was The Black Lives Matter Movement Successful?
After receiving more than $100 million in funding in 2016, the BLM movement aimed to create a collective policy agenda. The goal was to curb the effects of racism and create equal rights for Black people living in the United States. Here are some proofs of it being a successful movement:
It Paved The Way For Black Lives Media Coverage
One of the foremost ways in which the movement helped was that it normalized the coverage of Black Pain, mostly by white individuals. If there were no videos proving they were guilty, one could never know about the mishappenings with Eric Garner, George Floyd, or Sandra Bland.
It Had An Impact On Public Opinion
A Pew Study in 2017 revealed that 54% of white men consider officer-involved Black men encounter as a problem. Changing the mindset of 50% of people and making them think that racial issues have been largely increased due to heavy policing was a big deal. This shift in people’s attitudes eventually proved that the movement was a hit.
It Gave Voices To People
The instances of Floyd or Garner being shot surfaced due to public help. But there were a lot of other people who didn’t have the courage to register the oppression. Mostly which were done to them by white people. Due to this movement, a lot of people gained the strength to share their sufferings. Additionally, they gained justice to some extent.
The Bottom Line
Social movements, irrespective of their goals, emerge when society drifts away from a harmonious path and becomes problematic for a set of people. Racism created troubles for black people, and traumas existed in all forms- verbal, emotional, and physical.
People who supported the cause were a major reason the problem came to the surface, and concerns for black people began to grow. To end this comprehensive guide on a subtle note, I must say that Black Lives Matter won because it gained people’s trust and support. Social movements that bring changes in society are worth remembering.
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