...The Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests are recurring phenomenon in the last years that have gained media coverage (Ghandnoosh, 2015). They are a response to a long-standing problems with police racism, excessive force, and abuse especially in United States as well as in other countries (Ghandnoosh, 2015).. These BLM protest continues to be a recurring topic on social media (Ghandnoosh, 2015). Thereby, they have sparked multiple discussions over the methods of mobilization. Some argues that the means the protesters uses are too aggressive. This due to the fact that people go out, stop traffic in some cases destroy property. However, these known facts are not the only way that individuals are currently participating in social issues. Some have...
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...In 2016, the Black Lives Matter movement continued to protest and fight for equal rights. Over time, they have become more unpopular for blocking off highways and interrupting presidential speeches. This has led to some black protests without directly mentioning the movement. This essay will examine Colin Kaepernick’s protests during the national anthem and the responses received as well as the impact his actions have had across the country. Colin Kaepernick is a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. He began the 2016 preseason by sitting down during the national anthem. For the first two games, he mostly went unnoticed. It was the third game that people started notice. “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick explained. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.” For the remainder of the season, Kapernick continued to protest during the national anthem. He later switched from sitting to kneeling out of respect for veterans and those serving in the military. Many of the reactions Kaepernick...
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...unarmed black teenager, was fatally shot by Police officer George Zimmerman. This event was the catalyst for the rise of the Black Lives Matter Movement. Since 2012, there have been countless protests of Black Lives Matter protests, usually following tragic incidents of policemen unfairly treating young black teenagers. Besides this, there have been other protests and highlights on issues involving the LGBT community, minimum wage demands, quality of education, and rates of prison incarceration (Williams 2015). Despite the expansion of the Black Lives Matter Movement, many may believe that the movement is declining or failing, due to lack of catalyst leadership, confusion in the group’s goals, and...
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...Love / Hate War “There comes a time when silence is betrayal (King Jr.) “The movement called black lives matter could be said to be a more advanced Civil Rights Movement of 1868. Black lives matter is a more advanced movement from the Civil Rights. Focusing on the racism exhibited towards blacks (or people of color). The black lives matter movement got its uproar in 2013 when young, Trayvon Martin was shot and killed, he was subjected to an unfair trial and received no justice. The controversy of the black lives matter movement does not cause any harm as if it only benefits society. The awareness of what is really going on right now in the country would not be as focused on and addressed if it wasn’t for the black lives matter movement. The...
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...In order to fully understand the motives behind the organization Black Lives Matter one must know the history behind the struggles of African Americans in the United States. Throughout history African Americans have been pushed down, forced to do the work of the white man, and criticized for the color of their skin. Some of the most violent and unforgettable tales of American history date back to the 17th century. During this time period the slave trade was introduced to the state of Virginia (Carson 19). Millions of innocent African Americans were targeted by colonists who bought these slaves for their own profit (Carson 19). Years of torture, malnutrition, and neglect had passed by and there wasn’t much hope for a bright future for those...
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...this type of reform would be the Civil Rights Movement that took place in the 1900s. This movement worked to fix the view of the African Americans in America; these people wished for equal rights and better lives. Years later in 2017 this perilous battle counties throughout America by the descants of those brave souls from the 1900s. Reports of police brutality against African Americans have sparked protest after protest for the lives lost to this senseless violence, and they’ve managed to make their voices as loud as the...
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...living as a black boy in the 21st century? Many things are happening today, and people argue that equal rights are non-existent to this day. If living today, Richard Wright would be able to attain a proper education and would explore the truth behind myths about equality. In his autobiography, Richard would write about his experiences to tell his shifting views on Black Lives Matter, impact of education has on living condition, and that white privilege is false. Black Lives Matter was created in July 13,2013 with...
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...radical Black coordinators Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi made a Black-focused political will and movement development project called #BlackLivesMatter. This hashtag was made after the violent death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin at the hands of neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman in 2012. The Black Lives Matter Movement is an ideological and political mediation in a reality where we bear witness to black lives who are deliberately and purposefully targeted for death. The Black Lives Matter Movement has developed into the biggest black driven crusade since the 1960s. While particular objectives and strategies for the movement shift by city and state, generally speaking the development tries to focus on...
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...mid-1950s, Martin Luther King Jr. began fighting for the rights of Black Americans as a civil rights movement leader. King went to Birmingham, Alabama because he saw it as the most segregated city in the entire country. While attempting to end segregation in Birmingham, King was jailed along with 3,000 other men. During his time in jail, King wrote “Letters from Birmingham City Jail” (Batten 165). Although King made much progress in the fight for the rights of Black Americans, Black Americans are still not treated equally today. In 2012, Trayvon Martin, a 17 year old high school student, was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, a police officer in Florida. Despite taking the life of Martin, Zimmerman was not charged for his murder. It...
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...All Lives Matter “All Lives Matter” is a slogan that has come to be associated with the criticism coming from the “Black Lives Matter” movement. This slogan is used to proclaim that the “Black Lives Matter” slogan overlooks the importance of every other race besides the African American race. A person does not have to be the smartest human being on earth to understand that the phrase explains that black lives also do matter. “All Lives Matter” helps to show that no life is more important than another. The Civil Rights movement “Black Lives Matter” originated in 2013 after George Zimmerman was found not guilty on second degree murder of Trayvon Martin (Black 1). George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain in Sanford, Florida, called 911...
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...The Black Lives Matter movement was created in 2012 after the murder of 17 year old, Trayvon Martin. Trayvon Martin was murdered by George Zimmerman, who was acquitted for his crime. Black Lives Matter is being used rebuild the black liberation movement. It is used to show how black people are left powerless in the hands of the government and deprived of basic human rights. From Mike Brown (18) to Yvette Smith (45), over 250 black people were killed by police officers in 2015. Nearly one in three black people are murdered, beaten or violated by police officers, who are sworn to “serve and protect” them. Police brutality in the black community is an ongoing issue that needs to be put to an end. The stories of Oscar Grant, Eric Garner and...
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..."Black lives matter,” the rallying cry of the new movement against racist police violence, is brilliant in its simplicity. But more striking than the slogan’s ability to express so much in so few words is how painful it is that its message needs to be asserted. What began as a small but fierce rebellion in a St. Louis suburb exploded into a wildfire that has engulfed the whole country. The movement has done something all too rare in our time: it’s escaped the control of the ruling establishment. Neither police repression nor Democrats have been able to stop the movement. which has confounded the politicians and the news media, accustomed as they are to using the same old scripts to discuss race and protest without challenge. City governments across the country had to accept the disruption of business as usual, as, for example, when activists from the Black Youth Project 100 (BYP 100) occupied Chicago’s City Hall on November 26, and marchers in New York City repeatedly shut down most major bridges and tunnels leading into and out of Manhattan in November, while police appeared powerless. Strong at its beginning In a matter of weeks, the movement shattered what remained of the notion of a “post-racial” America and reoriented the entire national conversation on anti-Black racism. The movement follows in a tradition of Black struggles in the United States whose impacts far exceed the numbers of people involved and go well beyond their point of origin. The civil rights revolt...
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...been massive progress in the way that society treats African-Americans, there are still major social divides and conflicts that we struggle with today. Most of these problems are simply by products of the past racial segregation and mistreatment that African-Americans faced. Black Lives Matter was formed to combat these issues of social injustice that is still being faced in America. There are many reasons that the Black Lives Matter movement was created by the people that created it, and although BLM has good motives and intentions, it may have unintentionally increased the racial divide in America. The issue...
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...Black Lives Matter is an organization founded by Patrisse Cullors, Opal Tometi, and Alicia Garza. The group was started in 2012 after George Zimmerman was acquitted of the murder of Trayvon Martin. The goal of the group is to not just focus on the police brutality aspect on black lives, but also to spread awareness of black love. “Black Lives Matter affirms the lives of Black queer and trans folks, disabled folks, Black-undocumented folks, folks with records, women and all black folks along the gender spectrum” (blacklivesmatter.com). Black Lives Matter believe in not only the equality of “normal” black people, but those of all sexual orientations, lifestyles, and etc. Some individuals, such as Elisabeth Hasselback claim that the group should...
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...favorable side to the police (Ekins, 2016). The numbers vary by race when showing individual positive outlooks on the police all the way to equality. Statistics show that Black Americans feel that the police do not equally show respect to each race whether you are White, Black or Hispanic. Each race may have a different experience with the police and sadly this statement is true to some. In America, Americans are taught that everyone should be treated equally and by the statistics shown, some people do not feel that is the case at all. It is hard to go against what the public views or sees and it is becoming very difficult for police officers; white or black, to satisfy every...
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