Black Lives Matter

10, Jun 2021

The Story Behind It

 

Black Lives Matter is the 71st most favorite charity and organization with a vast base of followers around the globe.

The movement strives to provide justice against occurrences of police brutality and all racially motivated violence against the black community.

The activist movement became prevalent after the brutal killing of Trayvon Martin, an innocent 17-year-old teenager who George Zimmerman brutally shot. Zimmerman was the supervisor of his gated community, where Martin came to visit his relatives. Zimmerman got into a nasty altercation with Martin and shot him. The poor boy died on the spot. Zimmerman justified the killing by calling it ‘self-defense.’

Trayvon’s murder video sparked nationwide outrage. The newspapers, television, and other media outlets further ignited the issue for weeks. For several weeks, the newspaper was flooded with reports of protestors hitting the streets of America and demanding justice for Trayvon. Forty-five days after the demise of Martin, Zimmerman was arrested and convicted by the US police. On July 13, 2013, Zimmerman was found not guilty. Profound fear and grief ensued. Myriads of individuals felt the pain of injustice at the acquittal of George Zimmerman.

 

Black Lives Matter – The Name

Black Lives Matter is a phrase that defines the discrimination and inequality faced by the black community. The term originated after the high-profile, unjustified killings of African-Americans in the United States. The issue spread in the United Kingdom as well.

Supporters of Black Lives Matter realize that white supremacy exists in different the United States and United Kingdom regions where black people are considered inferior and treated unfairly. Systematic racism was observed in government organizations, corporate facilities or educational institutes.

 

Mistreatment of African-Americans

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Black people are given fewer opportunities in high-paying jobs. Only 31% of African-Americans manage to work in manager and director-level occupations.

The recruitment department follows racist hiring practices that prevent good job opportunities to black people.

According to a study conducted by Harvard University students, when black people ‘whitened’ their resumes used ‘white-sounding names, they got shortlisted and received calls for interviews. The study revealed that 25 percent of black candidates who used this technique got callbacks, while only 10% got selected based on their non-manipulated black resumes.

Several organizations depend on employee social networks for referrals which are again problematic for the black community, especially if the organizations looking for candidates have primarily white people under their wing. One survey revealed three-quarters of white Americans don’t have any black friends, which means they are less likely to refer black people to their employee social network.

 

Black Lives Matter – The Masterminds Behind the Movement

Alicia Garza, born and raised in California, United States, was a civil rights activist in Oakland, California. Being a black woman herself, Garza was massively impacted by the Trayvon news and wanted to do something for her community.  She highlighted two long-neglected topics, social justice cynicism, and respectability politics.

People had different opinions about the Trayvon case. Some people were going through feelings of despair because they didn’t expect the system, where white supremacy prevails, will take any action against the white transgressors. Other people, however, defended Zimmerman and accused Trayvon’s family, his attitude, and his actions as the reason for his unfortunate death.

In response to the latter, Garza launched a series of Facebook posts with the title “A Love Letter to Black People.” Her final post in this series read, “black people. I love you. I love us. Our lives matter.”

Patrisse Marie Khan-Cullors Brignac, a close friend of Alicia Garza, an American activist, artist, and writer, supported the post by responding “ #BlacklivesMatter, “ and that’s when the Hashtag came into existence! Cullors and Garza are bosom friends, and first met at BOLD – Black Leadership for Organizing and Dignity Conference.

Cullors’ and Garza’s mutual friend, Opal Tometi, an American human rights activist, writer, strategist, and community organizer, supported the cause and offered her hand. And that’s how the “Black Lives Matter” Cause was born!

 

Join Us Against the Inequality!

Your little contribution will help us serve the Black community in fighting for their fundamental rights and giving them necessities such as food, clothing, shelter, and education. Join us as we rise against Black injustice.

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Statistics on Racial Inequality
in the United States

  • 81%
    Black Men

    8 in 10 Black men with at least some college experience reported facing racial discrimination.

  • 33
    Black Children

    1 in 3 Black children live below the poverty line.

  • 38
    Black Women

    Are paid less than white men and 21% less than white women.

  • 3X
    Black People

    Are more likely to be killed by the police than white people.

  • 98.3%
    Police Killings

    From 2013-2020, 98.3% of police killings of Blacks have not resulted in officers being convicted.