Idema 1

Black Lives Matter: The Roots

For one gated community near Sanford, Florida, a tenseness began to permeate the air on
February 26th, 2012. George Zimmerman, coordinator of his neighbourhood watch committee,
dialled another 911 police call to report an unknown male who might be attempting a break-in.
Zimmerman’s eyes fixated on seventeen-year old Trayvon Martin, who held his hand in his
pants’ waistband and had been looking around the neighbourhood’s homes. After hanging up the
call, Zimmerman decided to follow him. Over the last year, there had been multiple break-ins
with no known perpetrator, and this time, he was intent on catching “a guy who seems to look
like he’s up to no good.” Zimmerman got out of his car and a violent encounter ensued, leading
to cries for help and having Martin being shot near his father’s home (Chase, 2018, pg. 1092-
1093).

Less than a month after Martin’s death, the FBI and the Justice department conducted an
investigation into Martin’s death. At the same time, the campaign website, change.org, had a
petition calling for the arrest of Zimmerman which led to over one million signatures three days
after its creation. President Obama addressed the crowds and said that the case required “soul-
searching.” Exactly one month after, rallies sparked across the US, and fifteen days after that,
Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder. Just before the anniversary of Martin’s
death, The Justice for Trayvon Martin Foundation held a community peace walk in Miami,
Florida (Chase, 2018, pg. 1093-1094).

Zimmerman went to trial on June 24th, 2013, and the issue of self-defence became the primary
talking point. After the jury’s not-guilty declaration, legacy media stuck to reporting on the
verdict. However, tabloids, prime time commentators, and most of all, social media users
provoked a deeper discussion. Alicia Garza, who had actively posted her dissatisfaction on the
verdict, called it “a punch in the gut” and expressed her disdain for those who had justified
Zimmerman’s actions. She and many other social media users sensed that institutional reform
was needed to address the “racially-rooted hopelessness in the American justice system” (Chase
5). Garza then drafted several social media posts entitled, “ A Love Letter to Black People.”
However, one post caught many users’ attention and set the stage for the future movement’s
name: “black people. I love you. I love us. Our lives matter.” (Chase, 2018, pg. 1095). Garza’s
long-time friend, Patrisse Cullors, saw her post and introduced the hashtag that would go viral-
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“declaration: black bodies will no longer be sacrificed for the world’s enlightenment. i am done. i
am done. trayvon, you are loved indefinitely #blacklivesmatter ”. The movement soon gained
momentum after Cullors wrote another message: “ Alicia Garza and hopefully more black people
that we can imagine are embarking on a project. we are calling it, #blacklivesmatter…to
visibilize what it means to be black in this country. Provide hope and inspiration for collective
action to build collective power to achieve collective transformation rooted in grief and rage but
pointed toward vision and dreams.” The hashtag was popularized again when another good friend
of Garza (Opal Tometi) created a Facebook page to showcase the movement’s vision Around this
time, protestors in Minneapolis, Minnesota held up signs that said, “Black Lives Matter” and
“End Racism Now” (Chase, 2018, pg. 1096). The original hashtag, #blacklivesmatter later
adopted an uppercase “B” as in- #BlackLivesMatter, which solidified into a large-scale
movement in 2014.

Black Lives Matter: Beyond the Streets

Since its official launch in 2014, Black Lives Matter could be seen on the city streets across a
handful of US cities. Protestors held up signs with BLM’s black and white logo, and members
paraded down highways to mourn the death of another slain Black teen, Michael Brown. Brown
had been shot dead by a white police officer (Darren Wilson) who claimed he acted out of self-
defence. Before George Floyd’s death in 2020, BLM’s demonstrations had been reduced to a
handful of cities. However, one viral video contributed to the movement’s momentum. After
police officer, Derek Chauvin, pressed his knee against George Floyd’s neck, the action sparked
more than 7,750 Black Lives Matter demonstrations across fifty US states (Mansoor, 2020, par.
2). In the absence of racially-charged killings, BLM tries to expand its online recruitment via its
website, blacklivesmatter.com and across social media outlets. The website has been a work in
progress that aims to create “vigilantes” who will fight for Black equality in all societal sectors
(Black Lives Matter, About, 2022). Visitors are encouraged to check out their resources which
include short articles on their current projects. The website’s “About” page features a sign-up
form to “join the global movement,” so users can receive updates on their current actions and
alliances. Below the sign-up form is a “donate” button, so police brutality white supremacy can
“end forever”. One of the most unique methods in their recruitment is their “Help us Fight
Disinformation” page. After clicking on the page, it asks for an email address and encourages
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participants to report disinformation or suspicious online content that are targeted towards BLM.
The form also encourages users to send screenshots of the harmful content and rank potential
disinformation from high (unlawful or toxic content about BLM and its organizers) to low (a fake
account posing as BLM). When it comes to their social media channels, BLM encourages users
to subscribe to their YouTube channel, “like” their Facebook Page and follow them on Twitter.
Users can also donate by buying items from their online store. The store, #BLMshop features
various clothing apparel, jewellery, flags, and masks that display their name and logo. The store’s
description claims that BLM only sells merchandise that are exclusively designed and distributed
by their supporters (Black Lives Matter, Shop, 2022).

Black Lives Matter: A Decentralized Structure

Garza’s vision of BLM as a collective identity targeting discrimination encompasses far more
than just activist demonstrations. For example, local chapters are responsible for confronting
“time-sensitive” information on police brutality and coordinating “racial healing” events. They
also serve as spaces for emerging African- American leaders to address issues in community-
wide racism. The organization also works to harness more political power. Leaders have initiated
petitions to alert legislators of policies that would undermine the Black community or reinforce
systemic racism (Black Lives Matter, News, 2022). Among the political policies passed was, The
Breathe Act, inspired after the death of George Floyd. The Act seeks to discourage federal
funding for programs that promote policing and incarceration, which are seen as institutions
rooted in white supremacy. The Act also promises to invest more money into building
communities that advance Black self-determination. In addition, BLM has collaborated with
M4BL- The Movement for Black Lives, a coalition spanning more than 50 groups that represent
various interests in the black community. M4BL has showcased The Breathe Act by creating a
website, breathact.org, which encourages users to sign up and see the advances at the local, state,
and federal levels (The Breathe Act, 2022, par. 1).

BLM has stopped short of seeing their movement as an extension of previous Black civil rights
movements of the 1960s. Rather, their aim is to shift the historical emphasis from “black,
heterosexual, and cisgender men” to women and those identify as queer or transgender. The
organization claims that “the 1960’s civil rights movement relied heavily on the African
American church for much labour, organizational structure, leaders, as well as legitimacy and
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respectability ” (Jennings and Feagin, 2019, pg. 6). #BLM chapter leaders are working to remedy
this societal problem by raising awareness of “black feminism” and essentially, “intersectional
social justice” (Jennings and Feagan, 2019, pg. 6). Taking this into account, BLM seeks to create
an alternative, neo-civil-rights wave that shares elements with the gender inclusivity movement
of the 2000s. The organization’s expanded focus can be traced to claims that the US government
used genocide to colonize lands and that it exploited those living in the Global South. Activists
cite that such solutions need “social healing,” which may include building designated spaces for
undocumented immigrants. Indeed, BLM has high aspirations, but much money is needed to pay
for the projects. After George Floyd’s death in 2020, the organization accrued a total of over 90
million USD, but the organization declined to comment on their donors (Morrison, 2021, par. 7).

Black Lives Matter: Moving Past Police Brutality

According to their BLM’s About page, Black Lives Matter has begun the process of renaming
themselves as the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, Inc. In addition to their global
outreach, local chapters become the mouthpieces of their founding principles which include,
“combating white supremacy” within various institutions, capitalizing on power in black
communities with violent histories, and expanding on the concept of “Black joy”- taking pride in
being Black (Black Lives Matter, News, 2022). In recent years, much of the organization’s
causes have been dedicated towards combating financial and corporate institutions that are
deemed as racist. BLM encourages activists to fight against capitalist institutions, which are
rooted in white supremacy and have fallen prey to police brutality. It goes on to mention a series
of names who were shot down by police inside Walmart stores and 24-hour fitness facilities as
evidence. BLM outlines a solution for tearing down the global capitalist regime by encouraging
its followers to divest resources from white-only corporations and invest in “Black-led” and
“Black-serving” ones. BLM introduces the three Bs as strategies for making the transition easier:
#BuildBlack, where one can make donations to commemorate loved ones, #BuyBlack- a map of
black-owned businesses that one can support from Black Friday (the last Friday in November) to
the New Year, and #BankBlack, a list of white, corporate banks that support prisons, along with a
listing of black-owned banks that promote inclusion (Black Lives Matter, Black Xmas, 2022).
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Black Lives Matter: Raising the Fist

After the death of George Floyd, worldwide protests from London to Johannesburg waved BLM
flags depicting its characteristic logo-white letters against a black background. Many flags also
featured a clenched white or black fist with a line going down the middle of the hand. James
Stout from National Geographic writes that the fist has been a longstanding symbol used among
oppressed and socialist groups such as Popular Front (Stout, 2021, par. 4). For these groups,
showing the fist was a means to protest against oppressive authorities and incite “collective
resistance.” In 1966, US political party, the Black Panther Party, began to use the fist as a way to
combat police brutality and reinforce Black solidarity. Black Panther loyalists could be seen
saluting each other with raised fists at their meetings and conventions. In the 1968 Olympic
Games, American sprinters, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, raised their black-gloved fists while
the Star-Spangled Banner played during the medal ceremony. Later, the US Olympic Committee
issued a statement that the pair had gone against “good manners and sportsmanship” but then
later recanted by calling it a “human rights salute” (Stout, 2021, par. 4). Fast-forward to 2014,
Black Lives Matter adopted the fist after the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. In
response, BLM created flags with the black-power fist as a means to show the “hands-up, don’t
shoot” pose. BLM has since continued to use the fist throughout social media posts, within its
rallies, and even incorporating it as an emoji in 2015 (iNews, 2015, pars. 1-14). After George
Floyd’s death, Black Lives Matter shifted their design strategy by introducing three yellow lines
and incorporating more of the yellow colour on their site (Black Lives Matter, 2022). Activists
expanded further on the yellow colour by painting, “Black Lives Matter” in Washington DC,
New York City, and throughout other US cities (Grantham-Philips, 2020, pars. 1-2).

In addition to the hashtag (#Blacklivesmatter) that is strewn across social media, the slogan,
Black Lives Matter, has transformed into a chant at their street protests. Demonstrators have been
seen walking down roads yelling, “Black Lives Matter,” and for some, the more controversial,
“pigs in a blanket. Fry ‘em like bacon” (Daily Mail Reporter and Associated Press, 2015, pars. 1-
2). Police officers are often referred to as pigs, with some believing that officers should be
brought to the same fate as their victims. After George Floyd’s death, many began to chant, “I
can’t breathe,” in response to the parting words just before his death. Others have also chanted,
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“white silence is violence” as a way to highlight white supremacy and institutional racism
(Amnesty International, 2020, par. 1).

Black Lives Matter: Bearing the Marks of Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality

When it comes to the ideology of Black Lives Matter, many theoretical frameworks come to
mind. One of the most defining characteristics of the movement involves its hashtag phrases
which has created a relatable identity among its followers. Those who share these hashtags come
to believe that they ascribe to all of the beliefs of BLM. However, these symbols only represent a
fraction (partiality) of the movement’s total beliefs (totality). BLM also capitalizes on the themes
of oppression and resistance in racism, which stand as the building blocks of Critical Race
Theory (CRT) (Carney, 2016, pg. 7). Many members believe that the war on racism cannot be
waged within personal prejudices but through policies and contemporary legal systems. For
example, single-family zoning systems prevent the development of affordable housing in white-
majority neighborhoods. These laws hinder Blacks from upward mobility, because many are
forced to reside in low-income neighborhoods . Other instances supporting systemic racism
within Critical Race Theory include, the under-funded Black and Latino schools, curricula that
voice positivity toward white hegemonic practices, and supposed “white favouritism” towards
college admission programs (Sawchuck, 2021, par. 18). Adherents of CRT believe that policy
change stands as the key to reversing systemic racism. BLM has responded to this by making
community calls to defund police departments and boycott any institutions that hold white
supremacist views (Clark, Dantzler, and Nickels, 2018, pg. 5). BLM members, however, seek to
wage war against a battle fought on the ideological level, not necessarily within race itself. This
belief can be seen within Trayvon Martin’s killer, George Zimmerman, who is classified as
Latino. He killed Martin based on his own perceptions of Blacks, even though he is not white.
These notions can also be extended to Black or Latino police officers who may still criminalize
behaviour that is not aligned with white, heterosexual, and/or middle class behaviour (Carney,
2016, pars. 7-14). Thus, those classified as People of Colour can still commit sins for acting
white, because societal institutions consistently promote white behaviour.

Black Lives Matter also frames itself as a movement that highlights the complexities of Black
lives in terms of their gender, sexual orientation, and/or lifestyle. Capitalizing on these intricacies
stems from the framework of intersectionality, which remains an important backdrop in
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understanding the movement. Intersectionality attempts to understand an individual’s own unique

experience. Many forces (sexual orientation, race, etc.) create a unique identity that cannot be
fully understood by other people groups. These circles depicting various lifestyle factors can
intersect (relate to one another), but they demand to be seen as distinct entities from the others.
For example, many African-American women in the 1960s felt isolated in movements that solely
focused on race. While they could identify with the race aspect, they sought to further address
how their “multiple identities could impact the social justice they experienced,” (Clark, Dantzler,
and Nickels, 2018, 7). Thus, BLM can be seen as a large-scale movement that includes an
unlimited number of these separate but intersecting identities.

Black Lives Matter: A Mixed Reaction

When BLM activists painted in highlighter yellow, “Black Lives Matter” and “Defund the
Police” in key US cities, a backlash ensued. Then US-president, Donald Trump, was outraged
and called the “Black Lives Matter” mural a message of hate after it was painted outside the
Trump Tower. Still, most New York City dwellers welcomed the sign, and no legal action was
taken against its creators, since mayor, Bill DeBlasio, helped paint the letters (Gold and Slotnik,
2020, pars. 1-5).

Quite curiously, much of the American public’s views on BLM remain negative. One poll
showed that at least 42 percent of participants believe that those associated with the BLM
movement want to incite violence or destroy property. However, research conducted by the
Armed Conflict and Event Data Project (ACLED) proves otherwise. ACLED carried out a three-
month study that analysed more than 7,750 Black Lives Matter demonstrations in 2020. The
study found that at least 2,400 locations had “peaceful protests” while 220 had “violent
demonstrations” (Mansoor, 2020, pars. 1-5). Violence in the study is defined as “acts targeting
other individuals”, destruction of property and businesses, fighting back at police, as well as
violence carried out by additional rioting groups. Some of those violent protests carried out by
BLM did include toppling statues of colonial leaders and tearing down memorials, but these were
largely reduced to “specific blocks” (Mansoor, 2020, pars. 1-5). However, some of the study’s
conclusions seem to contradict the experiences of business owners during the George Floyd
protests. A Newsweek article reported that more than 1,500 businesses were damaged in
Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. The destruction amounted to more than $500 million in
 Idema 8

damages and rebuilding will likely take years (Jackson, 2021, pars. 1-2). As one can conclude,
BLM may be seen as sending mixed messages when it comes to the society and the state. Former
New York mayor, Rudy Guiliani, deemed the organization as “inherently racist,” because it seeks
to divide and that “all lives matter: White lives, Black lives, all lives” (Associated Press, 2017
par. 8).

Black Lives Matter: Charting Unknown Seas

Almost ten years since the death of Trayvon Martin, white-on-black tragedies continue to bring
the US to its knees. On February 2nd, 2022, a SWAT team in Minneapolis, Minnesota unlocked
the door belonging to 22-year old, Amir Locke. As the team began their predawn raid, Locke
cowered under the covers with a gun near his side. Officers spotted the gun and fired several
rounds at Locke, killing him instantly (Sawer, Jany, and Walsh, 2022, pars. 1-6). This recent
case proves that BLM has a long way to go in their fight against police brutality in the Black
community. Policy changes have been proposed and drafted such as the George Floyd Justice in
Policing Act. The act would ban neck holds that Chauvin used in arresting Floyd, but Senate
Republicans have blocked it. Three states are looking to implement laws (Campaign Zero) that
would increase accountability for killings similar to Floyd and ban “no-knock police raids,” but
talks are still ongoing (Roberts, 2021, pars. 12-14). Campaign Zero has since launched the 8
Can’t Wait Project- another initiative that lists eight reforms for combating police violence. The
policies include giving warnings before any shots, banning chokeholds, and requiring that all
alternatives be used before shooting. A handful of states have adopted one or five of the policies,
but many are reluctant to adopt any of them (8cantwait.com, 2022).

BLM’s vague promises of defunding the police and allocating more money toward social
services have proven to be harder than expected. Key US cities such as Chicago have cut back on
police funding, but swelling crime rates, particularly Black-on-Black crime, continue to be grave
concerns (Grimm, 2021, par. 7). Black Lives Matter continues to sweep the social media scene,
but they are doing little to propose and pass legislation that truly undermine Blacks in the US-
Black-on-Black crime and the lack of fathers in the next generation. Will it ever be possible for
BLM see beyond the streets and finally create lasting purpose for the Black community? Only
time and perhaps future shootings will be able to answer that question.
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References

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8a80cad199f54c0c4b9e74283d27366f

2. Sawchuk, S. (2021). What Is Critical Race Theory, and Why Is It Under Attack? [online]

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theory-and-why-is-it-under-attack/2021/05.

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fist-symbol-meaning-black-power-history-raised-explained-432838.

4. www.amnesty.org. (n.d.). “I can’t breathe”: The refrain that reignited a movement.

[online] Available at: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/06/i-cant-breathe-
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streets nationwide. [online] USA TODAY. Available at:
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[online] www.aljazeera.com. Available at:
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https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/13/after-2020s-blm-protests-police-reform-still-
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9. EDT, J.J.O. 6/1/21 at 3:18 P. (2021). More than 1,500 Minnesota businesses damaged in
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role of social media. Humanity & Society, 40(2), pp.180-199.

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23. Anon, (n.d.). The Breathe Act – This visionary bill divests our taxpayer dollars from
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that answers the call to defund the police and allows all communities to finally
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24. Grimm, A. (2021). As budget season nears, activists call on Lightfoot to cut CPD
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police-budget-activitists [Accessed 8 Feb. 2022].
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