Black Lives Matter: Black Lives Matter

"When we say Black Lives Matter, we are broadening the conversation around state violence to include all of the ways in which Black people are intentionally left powerless at the hands of the state.  We are talking about the ways in which Black lives are deprived of our basic human rights and dignity. #BlackLivesMatter is a movement that is working for a world where Black lives are no longer systematically and intentionally targeted for demise.  We affirm our contributions to this society, our humanity, and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression.  We have put our sweat equity and love for Black people into creating a political project–taking the hashtag off of social media and into the streets. The call for Black lives to matter is a rallying cry for ALL Black lives striving for liberation."

-Blacklivesmatter.com

The movement was co-founded by three black community organizers: Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi. The goal of #BlackLivesMatter is to organize communities and raise awareness of the anti-black violence across the U.S. The hashtag has regained momentum after the repeated state-sanctioned violence against unarmed black bodies, more recently the murder of George Floyd. Community leaders are using the #BlackLivesMatter movement to bring to the forefront police brutality and demand charges be brought against the police officers who too often act with impunity.

The movement began in the summer of 2013, after George Zimmerman's acquittal for the shooting death of Trayvon Martin through the hashtag #blacklivesmatter. In 2014, after the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, the movement gained national recognition through street protests. 

• BlackLivesMatter: Official site
• Black Lives Matter Movement: Overview