Origins of the Black Lives Matter Movement

The Black Lives Matter Movement, is a movement created  in 2013 and started by three African American women named Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi, and Putrisse Cullors. The event that sparked these three women to take action was the murder of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin and the court case finding George Zimmerman not guilty of murder and manslaughter. Garza says that the creation of the movement "was a response to the anti-black racism that permeates our society and also, unfortunately, our movements" (Garza). According to Garza, the Black Lives Matter movement, "is an affirmation of Black folks' contributions to this society, our humanity, and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression".

The Black Lives Matter movement has drastically grown in popularity and recognition since its creation in 2013. Along with a mention on the television show Law and Order: SVU it has sparked countless other social movements such as brown lives matter, migrant lives matter, and migrant lives matter. This has been very good for society because it has brought recognition to all sorts of different kinds of oppression. Garza says that she does not mind any other group imitating the Black Lives Matter movement to bring awareness to oppression as long as it does not celebrate the imprisonment of any individual and it acknowledges the the Black Lives Matter to be the origination of the movement. She goes on to express her anger that certain groups have attempted to modify the movement in ways that take away from its intended purpose. Garza claims that it is not right that some groups are transforming the Black Lives Matter movement into something that actually takes away from the work put in by many African Americans. Garza says that there is no reason to change the specific call and demand around black lives. In fact, Black Lives Matter has even issued a series of non-negotiable demands that include:

• An end to discrimination and the full recognition of Black's human rights
• An immediate end to police brutality and to the murder of black people and all oppressed people
• A public education system that teaches the rich history of Black people
• Access to affordable healthy food for their neighborhoods

and many more. It is very upsetting to know that these have to be demanded. These seem like they should be assumed rights for everyone in the world. However, the Black Lives Matter movement is forced to take action to gain some of the most basic human rights.

A big advocate for the Black Lives Matter movement that has made the headlines recently is NFL quarterback, Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick first made headlines when he decided not to stand up during the playing of the national anthem before one of his games. Kaepernick believed that he shouldn't stand for a flag that represents a country that is doing so much to oppress people of color.

Despite some taking this as an act of disrespect towards our flag and our country, this sparked a widespread movement across the country of athletes showing their solidarity together by either kneeling, not standing up, or putting a fist into the air. This did a lot to help the Black Lives Matter movement to gain traction because it made many other athletes feel comfortable enough to speak their mind about oppression.

The Black Lives Matter movement has been one of much controversy ever since its beginning in 2013. However, I feel that most of this controversy would disappear if much of its opposition would just hear out those who are calling for change. Instead of dismissing the movement, it would greatly benefit many people to educate themselves on the origin of this movement in order to see where its founders are really coming from.

Sources

"Black Lives Matter: Understanding Its Origins, History, and Agendas." Right Side News. N.p., 12 July 2016. Web. 25 Apr. 2017.

 Garza, Alicia. "A Herstory of the #BlackLivesMatter Movement." Black Lives Matter. N.p., n.d. Web.

Craven, Julia. "Black Lives Matter Co-Founder Reflects On The Origins Of The Movement." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 30 Sept. 2015. Web. 25 Apr. 2017.

 Baptiste, Nathalie. "The Rise and Resilience of Black Lives Matter." The Nation. N.p., 09 Feb. 2017. Web. 25 Apr. 2017.