Good morning, I am very grateful for this opportunity to represent my community for this movement. My name is Abigail and I came to make a statement on the Black Lives Matter movement and on our equality work. As the leader of this movement, I…
Black Lives Matter Essays
Best topics on Black Lives Matter
2013 - present
USA and internationally
Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a social and political movement that aims to highlight inequality, discrimination, and racism against black people all around the world. Protests against racially-motivated violence and police brutality are the main tool for achieving that goal.
The public opinion regarding the movement was negative at the moment, but it shifted over time. In 2020, Pew Research Center published the results of a poll stating that 67% of adult Americans supported the BLM movement in one way or another.
- “Racism should never have happened and so you don’t get a cookie for reducing it.” - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- “I can’t make people not afraid of black people. I don’t know what’s going on. I can’t explain what’s happening in your head. But maybe if I show up every day as a human, a good human, doing wonderful things, loving my family, loving your kids, taking care of things that I care about -maybe, just maybe that work will pick away at the scabs of your discrimination.” - Michelle Obama
- “A growing fear of mine is that I will die at the hands of a police officer. What scares me the most is it happening in front of my children.” - Godfrey David
The hashtag #BlackLivesMatter became popular when African-American teen Trayvon Martin was shot dead by George Zimmerman. The movement gained traction with the protests in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014, which were sparked by Michael Brown’s death. In 2020, the BLM movement sparked global protests after George Floyd was murdered by Derek Chauvin, a Minneapolis police officer.
The direct action tactics that BLM engages in are effective in addressing the issue. Racism against black people has been going on for too long, and this approach seems to be the only way to attract enough attention. BLM events have been known for disproportionate policing, which proves the point why these protests are needed.
Many of the protests are disruptive and disrespectful. The negative rhetoric towards American society doesn’t lead to building solidarity.