EAST jm EAST WEST UNIVERSITY The Black Lives Matter Movement ani Role in Shay Views About Racism in the US ig Discussions and Course Code: ENG 102 (Section — 04) Course Title: Composition and Communication Skills Submitted to: Mad. Tahamid Ar Rabbi Senior Lecturer Department of English Date of Submission: 14th December 2022 Submitted by. Name: 1D Participation Participation Rate ‘A. K.M. Ariyan 2022-1-10-035 | Abstract, Introduction, 25% Rashid conclusion Prottoy Bhowmik 2022-1-10-045 | The Case of George 25% Floyd, implements MD. Rummon 2022-1-10-255 | Racin inthe United 25% ates, Government Rahman Policies to Address Black Lives Movement Demands and Inersectionality Syed Noor Cede feore camera 25% otests are shaping how oe) fhe US understands racial inequality, findings 1|PageINDEX 1. Abstract. 03 2. Introduction. 3. Racism In the United States 4, The Case of George Floyd. 5, Black Lives Matter Movement. 6, Black Lives Matter protests are shaping how the US understands racial inequality. 7. Government Address Black Policies to Black Lives Movement Demands and Intersectionality. 06 8, Findings. 9, Implications. 08 10. Conclusion. 08 11. References. a) 2|PageAbstract Racism has a long history in the USA and is still widely practiced today. Racism has been linked to numerous negative effects on adolescent health and well-being. This research study aims to demonstrate how the recent tragedy of George Floyd has impacted the conversation regarding racism in the US. This term paper also illustrates racial disparity, how black people are treated, and how the US police force behaves against black people. This essay finishes by discussing how the Black Lives Matter movement promoted racial equality and changed US law to benefit black people Introduction Racism; is “The belief that races have distinctive cultural characteristics determined by hereditary factors and that this endows some races with an intrinsic superiority over others” (Collins, 2012, Collins dictionary, p.296). For understanding the situation that all African Americans have been facing since February 26, 2012, it is necessary to examine the history of this problem. Judging by the feet of the problem for blacks, the problems experienced by those people in the United States date not only today but also from the 15th century according to certain sources. “Blacks brought from South America and Africa for employment at that time ‘were seen as no different from animals” (Wheatley, 1773, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, p.85). Racism has evolved over time from an overt and obvious form to a subdued type of prejudice and discrimination. Today, it is frequently used as a technique to convey anger or ideas on blatant racial inequalities in a way that is not overt enough to be noticed. As a result, subtle acts of racism are frequently misunderstood as behavior that is appropriate and normal, Racism In the United States Regrettably, black people in America have consistently been mistreated and tortured. Every sector of American society is plagued with racism. Black people were prohibited from working in industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, social assistance, administration, business support, lodging, and food services due to discriminatory policies. Recent examples will illustrate will oppression of two black people David Bell and Dr. Susan was infected with the coronavirus. Because of being black, they were not admitted to any American hospital. The numerous horrific and solitary occurrences that Black Americans experience are highly upsetting, It’s not unusual for Black Americans to be left out of economic advancements. 1.2 million, or 21%, of the 5.9 million unemployed persons in January, when the unemployment rate was 3.6 percent, were black, with a rate of unemployment of 6 percent. Similar disparities between the black and general unemployment rates of 2.3 percentage points in June 2019, 2.5 percentage points in June 2018, 3.7 percentage points in June 2008, and 6.8 percent in the first 3| Pagehalf of 1988 were also present. (Collins, June 7, 2020, Longstanding inequalities have led to the ‘current wave of protests), US unemployment rates —Wnite —Black tnx — Asian American (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2020) The Case of George Floyd The 46-year-old Floyd, a Houston native, had purchased cigarettes at a Minneapolis convenience store, After a clerk suspected that Floyd had used a counterfeit $20 bill in the transaction, the store manager called the police, When officers arrived, they pulled a gun on Floyd, who initially cooperated as he was arrested. However, Floyd resisted being placed in the police car, saying he was innocent. Officers eventually pulled him from the car and Derek Chauvin pinned him to the ground by kneeling on his neck for almost 9 minutes and 29 seconds. Floyd was unresponsive when an ambulance came and was pronounced dead at a local hospital. Georges’s last sentence before his death was, “I can't breathe.” The death, recorded by bystanders, touched off what may have been the largest protest movement in U.S. history and a nationwide reckoning on race and policing. 4|Page1 CAN’T BREATHE JUSTICE FOR GEORGE FLOYD SOLIDARITY WITH MINNEAPOLIS (Source: Botz, May 31, 2020, Racist Police Murder of George Floyd Leads to National Rebellion) Black Lives Matter Movement Black Lives Matter started as an open hashtag. The official website was created on July 17, 2013. Black Lives Matter was founded as a network of activist groups with local chapters. It sparked a conversation about individuals whose voices were silenced as a result of the several identities they wore. Although they ate used separately, the hashtag and the organization share the same name. The hashtag represents a much larger group of people who want change. Despite the hashtag's initial lack of popularity, incidents encouraged more people to use it. After George Floyd, the hashtag has become famous all over the world, The George Floyd case was centered on the Black Lives Matter movement. “The hashtag (#BlackLivesMatter) was also used a lot about the Ferguson protests, which is why the number of tweets...skyrocketed to 47.8 million” (Anderson, 2020, Social Media Conversations About Race). There was no indication of a strong leader that suited the traditional strategy of social movements when protests erupted throughout the nation. "We are not a leaderless movement, we are a leader-full movement," the Black Lives Matter movement responded when questioned. “Say their name, remember Their Faces” ‘movement was built around how the death of Black people by the police received minor public attention within the BLM agenda. After George Floyd's murder, the protest movement got started as word of mouth and bystander footage spread. The Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area in Minnesota saw the ‘emergence of protests first near the corner of East 38th and Chicago Avenue streets, the scene of Floyd's arrest and murder. In favor of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, demonstrations rapidly spread across “the country and to more than 2,000 cities and towns in over 60 nations” (Burch, & Gianordoli, June 13, 2020, How Black Lives Matter reached every corner in America, p.4331). The demonstrations sparked a global discussion on policing and racial injustice that gave rise to various legislation initiatives at the federal, state, and local levels in the United States that aim to tackle police violence, qualified immunity, and systematic racism. The demonstrations sparked a global wave of monument removals and name changes. 5|Page(Source: Buchanan, & Bui, July 3, 2020, Black Lives Matter May Be the Largest Movement in U.S. History) Black Lives Matter protests are shaping how the US understands racial inequalit Black Lives Matter has widened our perspectives on the complex issues involving race and thus created space for social change. Black Lives Matter has been successful in diverting attention from its demonstrations and toward its goal of establishing an anti-racist society. In addition, our analysis found that Black Lives Matter has altered how American people understand racial concems including mass imprisonment, police brutality, and other systemic evils in Black communities that would be intolerable in other communities. Following Floyd's death, both journalists and academics declared that "race reckoning" was taking place in the US. Protests have a part in establishing the "new normal," in which discussing racial injustices in American culture is becoming more and more prevalent. The road to transformation is not always straightforward. Black Lives Matter has gone mainstream in the US. In this period of racial reckoning, Black Lives Matter and its supporters have crossed a Rubicon, The movement has impacted how Black people are perceived and treated by all societal institutions. To further bend history toward racial justice and long-lasting systemic change, the US government has used successful techniques of other 21st-century social movements in addition to protest and policy change. Government Address Black Policies to Black Lives Movement Demands and Intersectionality Black Lives Matter interacts with the federal government, lawmakers, and legislators in a variety of ways through its large national and grassroots groups. In addition to social media activism, public protests, and communication with politicians, such as at political rallies, The 6| Pagemovement outlines policy goals by raising awareness of police brutality and the need for criminal justice reform through reports and policy papers. Black Lives Matter also responds to laws that do not align with its policy aims and sends letters to Congress demanding change. The movement replied to this statute by writing a coalition petition to Congress seeking a new measure to protect minority citizens, and their statement demonstrated an understanding of intersections by underlining the crossover in multiple identities. Black Lives Matter provides tools for citizens and policymakers to use in documenting and raising awareness of police brutality and racial injustice The federal and state governments have responded to the BLM's activity with executive orders and laws. Since its beginnings, the Black Lives Movement has influenced over 107 laws established to address police violence, including new legislation approved in 41 states. The following chart shows laws passed at the state level from 2014 to 2019 that are by the policy demands of Campaign Zero, which is one of the organizations that operate under the umbrella of the BLM movement, and which is particularly active in policy reform addressing racialized police violence. The chart highlights the concentrations and limitations of laws passed. Laws are enacted by the government, because community representation, in particular, captures the essence of intersectionality and is intended to increase the representation of all community members across identity lines, which is critical for those experiencing inequalities as a result of minority identities. Laws Passed at State Level Aligning with Policy Demands (2014-2019) uber of ans aed Tetang nto Pokng entrain f = Farol tron ots Eedien Wns oleng Cooma Oar mts dy Casi the Pl Inspec negate see Comunity epresetaton As seen by data on state laws, there Is still a chasm between infersectionality understanding and policy reform, particularly in the case of police violence. According to some scholarship in the American Political Development approach, colorblindness dominates government approaches to policy and social norms about racial identity in the post-civil rights era in the United States, allowing intersectionality awareness to fall through the cracks, because if race no longer matters 7[Page(with colorblind post-racialism), the inherent multiple burdens of _intersectional idemtity/inequality are ignored Findings By 2020, the BLM had achieved widespread acceptability among the American people. The police shootings of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, as well as the fatal shooting of Ahmad Arbery while jogging in his Brunswick, Georgia, neighborhood, provoked a fresh wave of BLM protests in the spring of 2020. According to the New York Times, fifleen million to twenty-six million Americans marched in support of racial justice in the early summer of 2020 (Buchanan, Bui, Patel, July 3, 2020, Black Lives Matter May Be the Largest Movement in U.S, History), prompting some historians to label BLM the greatest movement in US history. Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a social movement that raises awareness about how African-Americans are treated by law enforcement in the United States. Much of the movement's advocacy has centered on police officers’ disproportionate use of force and a perceived lack of accountability for their conduct. The BLM movement has been accused by critics of inciting violence against law officers. To counter BLM accusations, some police officers and their sympathizers have formed Blue Lives, Matter groups. Implications To address police violence and alter how laws are administered, actions have been taken in the US. Defunding the police became a hot topic after Mr. Floyd's passing. Budgets in cities like Minneapolis, Portland, Philadelphia, and Seattle have begun to be redirected away from the police and toward things like housing and education. The movement raised black people's values not only in police confrontations, but also in healthcare settings, schools, and even in the property values of Black communities. Black Lives Matter forced police forces and the federal government to reconsider which law enforcement policies work and which do not in terms of reducing racial inequities in the US. Black Lives Matter has normalized the filming of Black misery at the hands of people who have vowed to treat everyone equally. Without personal footage, we may not know much about George Floyd. Black Lives Matter has aided in the implementation of several policies and organizational changes in policing, including implicit bias training, body-worn cameras, and restrictions on no-knock warrants. Conclusion In conclusion, the “Black Lives Matter movement” is a strong cause that will continue to get stronger and gain momentum. Racism prevails not only on institutional levels like education and law but also in politics and industries worldwide. African Americans, many whites, and people of different cultural backgrounds are beginning to continue the work of great activists like Dr. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, and so on. These acts of indirect oppression 8[ Pageshould be recognized and eliminated as a result of the global Black Lives Matter movement to strive for equality for all regardless of race. we References Collins, H. (2012), Collins dictionary, p.296 Wheatley, P. (1773), Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, p.85 Collins, S. (June 7, 2020), Longstanding inequalities have led to the current wave of protests, htips://www.vox.com/2020/6/17/21284527/systemic-racism-black-americans-9- charts-explained Bureau of Labor Statistics, (May 2020), https://www.bls.gov. Botz, D. (May 31, 2020), Racist Police Murder of George Floyd Leads to National Rebellion, https:/newpol.org/racist-police-murder-of-george-floyd-leads-to-national- rebellion) ‘Anderson, M. (2020), Social Media Conversations About Race, |ttps://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2016/08/15/social-media-conversations-about-rac Burch, A., & Gianordoli, M., (June 13, 2020), How Black Lives Matter reached every comer in America, p.4331 Buchanan, B., & Bui Q., (July 3, 2020), Black Lives Matter May Be the Largest Movement in U.S. History, https://carrcenter.hks.harvard.edw/news/black-lives-matter- may-be-largest-movem istory luo, I. (2018), So You Want to Talk About Race. 9|Pege10| Page