Black Lives Matter Movement

Today's realities about racial discrimination are rooted in yesterday's events. It might be

difficult to understand how the very old practice known as the slave trade still manifests in

today’s modern world. However, the current inequalities faced by Black people in society are

clear indications that, indeed, it is happening. This essay is about the Black Lives Matter

Movement, and it underscores the connection between this modern-day activism and the

transatlantic slave trading, which was one of the most significant waves of the slave trade lasting

for three centuries (1529-1850).

Firstly, this essay presents evidence of the relationship between the slave trade and the

current inequalities. Bertocchi (2016) published a study showing that in the US, there is a

significant positive association between slavery, measured as the share of enslaved people to the

total population in 1860, and income inequality and racial inequality expressed by the Gini

index. Accordingly, the lingering effects of slavery can be seen in the unequal access to

education and the low level of human capital for the descendants of enslaved people. From this

research, it can be concluded that the slave trade has continually created difficulties among Black

people today, and these are rooted in both cultural and relational aspects, making it systemic in

nature.

Aside from income and racial inequalities, there are also indications showing mental

health disparities among Black people. Scott-Jones and Kamara (2020) reported that Black

people are over diagnosed with schizophrenia and are provided with antipsychotic medications

with long-term negative side effects. In addition, they have higher rates of severe depression but

have lower rates of treatment. The same study provided an explanation of the Post Traumatic

Slave Syndrome (PTSS), developed by DeGruy in 2017, which described the effects of the slave
trade on the Black people and their descendants. PTSS is characterized by feelings of

hopelessness, depression, general self-destructive outlook, feelings of suspicion, perceived

negative motivations of others, violence against self, property and others, and learned

helplessness.

Dixon (2018), in her master’s thesis, meanwhile described how the slave trade corrupted

Black people such that it viewed the Black body as a commodity and hence easily dispensable.

Police violence and illegitimate killings of Black people have also been considered by Francis

and Wright-Rigueur (2021) as evidence of discrimination among Black people. Schwartz (2020)

cited a report from Statista that showed a higher rate of fatal police shootings among Black

Americans relative to other ethnicity, standing at 30 fatal shootings per million of the population

as of June 2020.

With the above foregoing, an activism called the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement

emerged. Historically, the movement began with the 2013 formation of the hashtag

#BlackLivesMatter by Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi. Enraged with the

acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s killer, George Zimmerman, Garza wrote “a love letter to black

people” on Facebook in which she stated, “I continue to be surprised at how little Black lives

matter. And I will continue that. Stop giving up on black life. Black people. I love you. I love us.

Our lives matter.” Garza’s friend Patrisse Cullors, sharing the message, used the hashtag

#BlackLivesMatter, and the resulting phrase went viral across various social media platforms.

The movement was created as “a call to action” and a “response to the anti-Black racism that

permeates society. It is a form of social justice activism aiming to eradicate systemic racism,

violence, oppression, and discrimination inflicted against Black communities (Leyh, 2020).
 The transatlantic slave trade, which was the foundation of the modern-day struggles of

the Black people, has a direct link to the BLM movement. The movement’s mission is to

emphasize how violence is embedded in and continues to be inflicted in Black communities

through state-sanctioned political and legal institutions. Further, Dixon (2018) has stressed the

importance of an intersectional lens, which has expanded the BLM movement to be inclusive of

Black women, Black LGBTQ individuals, and Black disabled bodies.

The relevance of the Black Lives Matter Movement as a backlash to the persisting effects

of the slave trade era on Black people can be a source of reflection that each can contribute to

becoming complicit or contributing to the discrimination, oppression, and exploitation of Black

citizens. This topic is very valuable in creating a more thorough understanding of the historical

events and how their impacts are deeply seated in our society today. As a future Community and

Justice Services worker, this will help me to rethink my actions and reflect on my biases,

prejudices, judgments, and perspectives so I can contribute to reducing oppression and

inequities.
 References

Bertocchi, G. (2016). The legacies of slavery in and out of Africa. Iza Journal of Development

and Migration, 5(24). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40176-016-0072-0

Dixon, M. (2018, May). The influence of slavery on the black body: Black lives matter’s

intersectional methodology and new advancements. CUNY Academic Works.

https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3659&context=gc_etds

Francis, M. M. & Wright-Rigueur, L. (2021). Black lives matter in historical perspective. Annual

Review of Law and Social Science, 17. 441-458. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-

lawsocsci-122120-100052

Leyh, B. M. (2020). Imperatives of the present: Black lives matter and the politics of memory

and memorialization. Sage Journals, 38(4).

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0924051920967541

Schwartz, S. (2020). Police brutality and racism in America. Elsevier, 16(5).

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7331505/pdf/main.pdf

Scott-Jones, G. & Kamara, M. (2020). The traumatic impact of structural racism on African

Americans. Delaware Journal of Public Health, 6(5).

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8352535/