It has been a little over a month since the untimely demise of George Flloyd – the man who has died under the cruel hands of abusive police officers. Henceforth, the visibility of the Black Lives Matter movement.
In case you have not read about it, The New York Time has in fact, published an entire reportage dedicated to the man’s death. Just quick (and a little dark and heavy) recap : The tragedy took place on the 15th of May. George Flloyd, 46-years-old was arrested by some Minneapolis Police Officers. The said encounter happened right after Mr. Floyd was accused of allegedly using a fake 20 dollar bill. The employee who was on duty at the time immediately called 911 to report the incident. From that point on, everything just went from bad to worse in almost a snap of a finger. The initial reports only mentioned that George Floyd died under police custody.
However, a few hours following the said initial reports, hundreds of videos which captured the assault in full-detail as well as accounts from eye witnesses themselves, the police officer who was later on identified as Derek Chauffin was seen pinning the victim to the ground. The said snippet broke the internet – making its way on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and basically all the other social media networks and mainstream websites that you can think of.
As if it was not bad enough that the accused Mr. Floyd was being treated badly for such a menial crime, it can also be seen that the police officer who was later on identified as Derek Chauffin, was unnecessarily stepping on the victim’s neck for at least eight minutes and forty six seconds.. If one were to watch the footage, you can hear Mr. Floyd begging and saying that he cannot breathe. But even after he was seen unconscious – the abusive police officer still went on with his leg on top of the neck of the victim.
Opening a pandora’s box of questions and violent reactions, the incident became a catalyst for a cultural movement and the advancement of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Understanding the Black Lives Matter Movement
If anything this global pandemic has been a means through which more people can be more informed about what is going on in the community they belong to or the world at large. In case you are asking and in-need of guidance as to what the Black Lives Matter movement is all about – read on as we try our best to provide you with all the answers that we possibly could.
Founded by Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi – Black Lives Matter is both a hashtag and a political movement that was formed after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the killing of Trayvon Martin back in 2012. A community activist from Oakland, California, Garza found herself distraught at the verdict. She then aired out her grievances on Facebook and ended it with the words “black lives matter”. Shortly after, Cullors, another community activist and organizer from Los Angeles, placed a hashtag right before the three words : #blacklivesmatter. These three words expressed the ideals they wish more people seeked : the social, cultural and social empowerment of the African Americans. The rest was history.
In 2013, the Black Lives Matter movement was no longer just a series of social media posts.. It has propelled into something much larger – it has become a national movement that is being taken on streets both by supporters and activists alike, especially during the demonstrations that took place in 2014 following the police-involved killings of Michael Brown and Eric Garner.
How Does It Work?
Unlike most other movements that are existing and that take place in the United States of America, what sets the Black Lives Matter movement is that it takes on a decentralized approach in terms of mobilization. Instead of national leadership or “talking heads”, the black lives matter movement is more heavily reliant on local leadership. The effort is rarely ever organized by one person or one group of people. Even more so, according to one of its founders, Cullors, the mobilization always takes place spontaneously.
“We don’t get people onto the streets, they get themselves onto the street”, shared Cullors in a previous interview.
The Black Lives Matter movement consists of chapters all across the United States that operate in an almost entirely independent manner. According to Chelsea Fuller, who is a part of the Advancement Project – a nonprofit organization that works with grassroot justice and race movements – local organizing is a much more powerful way to address problems. These problems include but are not limited to poverty, lack of jobs, access to proper housing, education, community policing and systemic racism at large.
“We can’t affect national narrative, we can’t affect national legislation that comes down and affects local people if local people don’t push back and take a stand about what’s happening in local communities,” shared Chelsea Fuller.
What Does the Black Lives Movement Stand For?
In a nutshell, the Black Lives Movement stands for the end to racism. According to Cullors, their most important directive is to push for “black people’s right to live with dignity and respect”. They are also aiming to have a more inclusive American democracy – something which they helped create.
According to Umi Selah, another activist who is working as the co-director of Dream Defenders in Miami, another nonprofit organization that stands for the rights of people of color – “this is about the quality of life for bklack people and for poor people in the country”. While the two organizations are not directly nor officially involved and affiliated, they often find themselves aligning with Black Lives Matter.
A common misconception is that the Black Lives Matter movement is simply just against the police force but in reality, it is not. The conception that all we’re mad about is police and policing is a strong misconception,” Selah said. In fact, Black Lives Matter released a statement last week condemning the shooting in Dallas as counter to what the movement is trying to accomplish.”
Celebrities Who Support Black Lives Matter
It is not too unlikely that perhaps, one of the things that piqued your curiosity when it comes to the Black Lives Matter movement is seeing it on the feed of one of your favourite celebrities.
Over the years, more and more celebrities have been brave enough to use their clout for social good. Here are some of them who have gone above and beyond to support the BLM movement.
- Adam Lambert. The singer was seen in one of the protests showing his solidarity.
- Ariana Grande. The singer continues to prove that she might very well be the most sincere and caring artists of this generation.
- Bella Hadid. The supermodel proves that she is more than just a pretty face. Recently, she donated to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
- Beyonce. This list includes the Queen, of course. She is not one to stay mum – she has been quite vocal about it on social media. She even gave out a very passionate speech in the Dear Class of 2020 video.
- Billie Eilish. Fed up with the shallowness and narrow mindedness of it all, Billie Eilish explained why saying ‘All Lives Matter’ in light of the recent events is one of the most insensitive things that one could do.
- Cole Sprouse. So much so, in fact, that he was one of the people who were wrongfully arrested while he was protesting in the streets.
- Halsey. The singer has always been a strong supporter of the BLM Movement. She took it up a notch by showing up in the protests. Even more so, she experienced being shot with a rubber bullet firsthand.
- Harry Styles. Yup, aside from being the ultimate gender bender, Harry is quite the woke lad too. He has been consistently showing support through his social media and joined some of the protests.
- Rihanna. The Ultimate Bad Gal Riri proves she isn’t just the ultimate style and beauty icon – she is one with the biggest heart too. During blackout tuesday, she decided to temporarily halt production all across her businesses.