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What was there before?
There was activism advocating for equality and against racial segregation even before BLM, such as the Civil Rights Movement, The Black Panther Party, The Black Power Movement, etc. While they did achieve results (e.g., Voting Rights Act of 1965), the issue of racial injustice in the US did not disappear. BLM took inspiration from these and other historical movements, combined it with modern opportunities (social media), and came out at least as strong (if not stronger) than its predecessors. -
The "casus belli" of the movement (emergence)
George Zimmerman shot African American teen Trayvon Martin. The public quickly picked up on this event: the Million Hoodies Movement for Justice was founded and solidarity for the young teen was shown across the country. However, what really kicked things off was the acquittal of the shooter: despite many people advocating for his arrest, Zimmerman had received a not guilty verdict. ABC report on the trial -
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How did the movement reach many people so quickly?
What set BLM apart from other movements who gathered during the protest for Zimmerman's arrest and trial was that unlike most groups, who organized courthouse demonstrations, BLM immediately recognized the value of social media in developing a political agenda and mobilizing people for action. While it drew inspiration from the big SMs of the 20th century, it also utilized the ability of newly developed social media to reach many like-minded people, and was able to gather momentum quickly. -
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The spark turns into fire (coalescence)
The movement gained momentum each time a Black person was killed as a result of an altercation with police. During the year, thousands of people in the US participated in protests, marches and riots not only against the deaths of the victims but also advocating for police reforms and the equal treatment of Black Lives. Activits also orchestrated the shut-downs of malls and highways as to sort of "open the eyes" of the general public. Most of this gathered under the BLM banner. -
A Love Note to Black People
Alicia Garza wrote a Facebook post with this title as a response to Zimmerman's acquittal. She called Black people to "get active" and "fight back". She called the injustice targeting Black people "institutional racism", that couldn't be defeated by just voting and being educated. She ended the post with the following quote, which became the impetus of the movement:“Our Lives Matter, Black Lives Matter.” - A. Garza
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#BlackLivesMatter emerges
The day that social activist Patrisse Cullors re-posted a message about the acquittal of George Zimmerman with the hashtag #blacklivesmatter, the spark of the BLM movement was ignited.With this hashtag, an international human rights campaign began on social media, and the movement gained broad popularity. Cullors and fellow activists Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi built a network of community organizers and racial justice activists using the name (the movement's eponym) Black Lives Matter. -
Social activism on Twitter
According to a Pew Research, on Twitter's 10-year anniversary in 2016, #Ferguson (the place where Michael Brown died) was the most, #BlackLivesMatter was the third most used hashtag related to social causes. The purpose of hashtags is to categorize and spark conversation, so this really shows how much recognition and momentum the BLM movement gathered from 2013 onwards. -
Renisha McBride is killed
Not police brutality, however, the murder of Renisha McBride illustrates one of the things that the BLM movement especially is trying to fight: racial profiling. She was a 19-year-old girl seeking help at night after having been in a car crash, and she chose the wrong door to knock on. Homeowner Theodore Wafer shot her to death, claiming that he thought his home was being broken into. He was found guilty by the jury, and Renisha's murder became one of the several deaths protested by BLM. -
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Organizational growth (bureaucratization)
From being just one of the organizations protesting in Ferguson, BLM emerged as one of the best organized and visible groups. Their slogan "Black Lives Matter" became the call for action against many unjustifiable things that have been happening to Black people. They also created a webpage independent of corporate media, used online platforms to organize and plan strategy, and established many BLM chapters worldwide, which all lead to blooming success. -
Eric Garner is murdered
African American Eric Garner was killed by NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo, who put him in a prohibited chokehold while trying to arrest him for supposedly selling non-taxed cigarettes. Medical experts ruled his death a homocide. New York Daily News released the video footage of the killing the day after, which has then engendered broad national attention and raised many questions regarding police regulations about the use of force. -
Michael Brown shot by police
18-year-old Michael Brown was shot to death by police offier Darren Wilson. The young Black man was accompanied by one of his friends, whose official statements often contradicted those given by Darren Wilson. According to this friend and other witnesses, Brown had clearly indicated signs of surrender, after which the officer still shot him multiple times, resulting in Brown's death. Civil unrest began quick after the incident, which aggrevated after the jury declared Wilson's innocence. -
The Black Life Matters Ride
Soon after the death of Michael Brown, hundreds marched down to the street in Ferguson where he died. This was the first street demonstration under BLM's banner. A contemporary media writing on the event. It inspired the founding of more localised BLM groups and the turning of campaigns into a network.Black Lives Matter began after Trayvon Martin's death. Ferguson showed its staying power. - P. Cullors
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Further growth and expansion
Despite the movement's efforts, more black deaths caused by police in the US ensured that the movement would continue to grow rapidly. More on the positive side, BLM helped many people become aware of the ongoing impact of police brutality on Black lives. The movement gained international and "popular" attention (in the form of celebrity support). They also started the tactic of publicly challenging politicians to state their positions on BLM issues to try to pressure the policymakers this way. -
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The other side?
Not everyone supports BLM. Critiques and counterprotesters have been saying that the movement is wrong for focusing on Black lives, they say this creates a division in society and deepens racial conflict. Some media portals went as far as to declare that "As a movement, it’s poisonous.". -
Police custody death of Freddie Gray
Freddie Gray died in police custody due to the circumstances of his capture, which brought increased attention to the national debate on interactions between law enforcement and African Americans and ignited a new spark of the BLM movement. The Baltimore rebellion that had happened in response to this took the BLM movement to the international level: black cyber activists in Europe, Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America started organizing and called themselves the "Black Spring" movement. -
Sport stars' statements
Major American sport stars have lend their voices to the movement in 2016. Well-known basketball players such as LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony opened an awards ceremony by speaking to the public about recent deaths of Black people, saying "Enough is enough". In the coming years, celebrities and public figures from all over the world expressed their support for the movement both publicly and on social media. -
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BLM and politics
BLM got involved in the 2016 presidential election. While many people in the movement endorsed presidential candidates Martin O’Malley and Senator Bernie Sanders, some activists claimed that despite many liberal supporters calling for Black voters to support their candidates, in the meantime, they had remained silent on police brutality and other issues facing African Americans. As a result, BLM announced it would not support any candidate, nor affiliate with any political party. -
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Continuity
The movement did not show signs of decline throughout these 4 years, they continued to protest and organize rallies against police abuse and racial injustice. However, media coverage of these events had declined drastically because of the Trump administration's very clear preferences (they were on the police's side). Nevertheless, the movement's pace remained steady. -
The Trump administration
BLM was at first succesful in pressuring policymakers (e.g., Barack Obama) to take Black issues more seriously. Democratics started developing new social policy agendas that specifically addressed policing reform and racial inequality. Converesly, Republican candidates chose to criticize the movement, hoping to appeal to their more conservative supporters. Trump, as one of these, upon winning the elections, quickly signaled that the new administration is definitely on the police's side. -
Celebrating 5 years
One of the founders of the movement, Patrisse Cullors explained the impact of BLM on other contemporary movements in an interview with ABC News. She said:“[BLM] has popularised civil disobedience and the need to put our bodies on the line... With things like the Women’s March, and Me Too, and March for our Lives, all of these movements, their foundations are in Black Lives Matter.”
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Hope for change
Following the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, the movement gained even greater recognition and support than before. Protests and other types of unrest continued not just in America but internationally as well. The magnitude of these protests and the support of BLM efforts by the majority of Americans for the first time, prompted police reforms in dozens of cities as well as state and national legislation calling for changes in police tactics and behavior. -
Death of George Floyd
George Floyd, another victim of police brutality, died in 2020, which gave the movement a new wave of impetus. A video of police officer Derek Chauvin (later charged with second-degree murder) kneeling on his kneck went viral, which caused international unrest. In the US, so many people participated in these demonstrations that the George Floyd protests became the largest known in the country's history. International protests followed as well with thousands of people participating. -
The Biden administration
Joe Biden won the 2020 US presidential elections, bringing change in the government's view on BLM. Following the verdict of Derek Chauvin (he was found guilty of George Floyd's murder), Biden addressed the nation with the quote at the bottom. Later (2022), he also introduced series of police reforms, with a key focus on revising use-of-force policies.“...a moment of significant change...It's not enough. We can’t stop here. We’re going to deliver real change and reform.” - J. Biden
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Biden's reforms
In May, on the eve of the second anniversary of George Floyd's death, Biden announced a series of police reforms. As part of the order, a national registry of federal and local officers fired for misconduct will be drawn up. Moreover, state and local police will be encouraged to ban chokeholds and neck restrains unless deadly force is required. A restriction on 'no knock' entries has also been limited and will only be permitted when there is an imminent threat of physical violence. -
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The decline
According to a Pew Research, there has been a significant decline in the support of BLM since its peak in 2020. This may be attributed to various factors, such as its confrontational tactics, people perceiving it as divisive, and decreasing public attention to the issue of police brutality. However, it is evident that the movement is successful at mobilizing people and achieving change, and it is unlikely to completely disappear anytime soon.