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The origin of the raising fist
The raising fist is symbol of the BLM movement. During the Olympics Games in Mexico, John Carlos and Tommies Smith, two afro-americans winners, stand up, head down and fist up, with a black glove, in order to denounce and fight against racism towards black persons in USA. The country is scandalized, the two of them lost their jobs, received death threats, but most important, their gesture become the symbol of the "Black Power" movement, introduced 2 years before, and the BLM movement today. -
Jordan Davis's death
He is an 17 year old afro-american that was shot at as gas station in Jacksonville, in Florida. Jordan and his friends are approached by white man Michael Dunn. After an verbal argument about the volume of the teenagers' music, Dunn shoots 10 rounds into their car, killing Davis. His death is the focus of documentary film 3½ Minutes and becomes part of the national conversation about the dangers facing young black men in America. -
Shooting of Trayvon Martin- Beggining of BLM
In February 2012, Trayvon Martin,a 17 year-old African American, was fatally shot while walking back from a store by George Zimmerman, a Hispanic American. Zimmerman reported him as suspicious to the police, and then later shot him in the chest. In July 2013, Zimmerman have been acquitted.In reaction to this court decision, three woman decided to create the #BlackLivesMatter; that is the satrting point of the movement. -
Eric Garner's death
Eric Gagner is a 44 afro american that died in NYC by asphyxsia after a police an put him in a chokehold while arresting him. The incident generated widespread national attention and raised questions about the appropriate use of force by law enforcement. The BLM movement quickly gathered pace, with interest and momentum spiking every time a Black person was killed as a result of an altercation with police. His last words, ‘I can’t breathe’ have become a key part of the movement. -
Michael Brown's death
He is a 18 year old black teen who died by being shot 7 times by a police officer, after a roadside check.The incident sparked outrage in the community since it was a predominantly black neighborhood, while the police department was all white,and the officer involved got relieved of all charges, because the jury ruled it as self-defense. It started the rise of the BLM movement in popularity, since it was one of the first times that the murder of a black person was recorded and realesed online. -
Lauquan McDonald's death
Laquan McDonald is a 17 year old black man that was fatally shot 16 times in 13 seconds by Jason Van Dyke, a police officer, in Chicago, Illinois, after Laquan refuses to drop a three-inch knife.
Dash-cam footage of the incident are released by officials on November 24th, 2015, prompting hundreds to protest.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel fires the city's police superintendent Garry McCarthy over his handling of the shooting. The movie "16 shots", released in 2019, recounts all the case. -
Adama Traoré's Death
In Persan, in France, three police officers questioned 24-year-old Adama Traoré, a black man, who ran away but then got caught. They tackled him on the stomach and hurt him: he said that he had difficulties breathing. He had a dizzy spell but the officers let him handcuffed and face down. He fainted and died.
On July 18, 2020, thousands of protesters marched close to Paris in tribute to Adama Traoré for the 4th anniversary of his death, and also protest. -
Black history month
For this annual commemoration of the African diaspora, in 2017, in Virginia, Black Lives Matter exhibited art linked with Black History Month for the first time, featuring the work of over 30 Black artists and creators.
It shows how powerful art is: it represents a strong way to peacefully fight.. -
Breonna Taylor's death
She is a 26 year old black woman that has been shot 6 times in her house in Louisville, in Kentucky, when policemen forced entry into the apartment as a part of investigation into drug dealing operations. The wanted person was arealdy arrested when the policemen arrived at her house. Because her death happened during the beggining of the pandemic and wasn't recorded, there were'nt much reactions about it. Then, with the George Floyd's protest, protests and the creation of #SayHerName happened. -
George Floyd's death
In Minneapolis in Minnesota, George Floyd died while being arrested for allegedly using a counterfit bill. After he was handcuffed and lying face down, a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, knelt on Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, which suffocated him, even if Floyd had complained about being unable to breathe prior to being on the ground. His death has since led to worldwide protests against police brutality like in Germany,Japan Denmark,at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. -
BLM protest
This day shows the peak mobilization of the Black Lives Matter movement. Half a million persons marched in more than 550 cities in the United states to protest against police brutality.