The Black Lives Matter Movement (2013- )

The Black Lives Matter Movement has grown into the largest black-led protest campaign since the 1960s. While specific goals and tactics vary by city and state, overall the movement seeks to bring attention to police violence against African Americans and in particular the use of deadly force against mostly unarmed civilians. While the issue of police brutality and unnecessary deadly force has been a focus point of black anger and frustration through much of the 19th and all of the 20th centuries, the violent death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin at the hands of neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman in 2012 galvanized various efforts into a single national movement.

This page begins with an article by Professor Herb Ruffin describing the founding (and founders) of the movement. The entries that follow identify incidents both before and after 2013 which have inspired the activism of Black Lives Matter members and supporters.

We at BlackPast.org know this is an incomplete list. We are aware of other names that should be included and sadly we are constantly adding profiles because the violence that causes this unnecessary loss of life continues to this day. We ask your help in identifying and writing profiles of these and other individuals not yet covered. If you are interested in contributing to this list, please contact us at [emailprotected].

Articles:Black Lives Matter: The Growth of a New Social Justice MovementNine Minutes in May: How George Floyds Death Shook the World

Founders:Alicia GarzaPatrisse CullorsOpal Tometi

Other Significant Leaders:DeRay Mckesson

The Incidents:Berry Lawson Case, 1938The Groveland Four, 1949Johnny Robinson, 1963Bobby Hutton, 1968Eula Mae Love, 1979Michael Stewart, 1983Mulugeta Seraw, 1988Phillip Pannell Jr., 1990Rodney King, 1991Latasha Harlins, 1991Abner Louima, 1997Amadou Diallo, 1999Prince Jones, 2000Roger Owensby, Jr., 2000Timothy DeWayne Thomas, Jr., 2001Orlando Barlow, 2003Alberta Spruill, 2003Henry Glover, 2005Kathryn Johnston, 2006Sean Elijah Bell, 2006Deaunta T. Farrow, 2007Tarika Wilson, 2008Oscar Juliuss Grant III, 2009Kiwane Albert Carrington, 2009Aiyana Stanley-Jones, 2010Derrick Jones, 2010Reginald Doucet, 2011Alonzo Ashley, 2011Kenneth Chamberlain, Sr., 2011Anthony Lamar Smith, 2011Ramarley Graham, 2012Trayvon Martin, 2012Wendell James Allen, 2012Shereese Francis, 2012Rekia Boyd, 2012Tamon Robinson, 2012Sharmel Edwards, 2012Shantel Davis, 2012Reynaldo Cuevas, 2012Jordan Russell Davis, 2012Malissa Williams, 2012Timothy R. Russell, 2012

The Black Lives Matter Movement is Founded

Deion Fludd, 2013Carlos Alcis, 2013Andy Lopez, 2013Yvette Smith, 2014Eric Garner, 2014John Crawford III, 2014Michael Brown, Jr., 2014Ezell Ford, 2014Laquan McDonald, 2014Akai Kareem Gurley, 2014Tamir Rice, 2014Natasha McKenna, 2015Walter Lamar Scott, 2015Freddie Gray, Jr., 2015Sandra Bland, 2015Samuel DuBose, 2015Christian Taylor, 2015Corey Lamar Jones, 2015Jamar ONeal Clark, 2015Gregory Gunn, 2016Philando Castile, 2016Joseph C. Mann, 2016Abdirahman Abdi, 2016Jamarion Rashad Robinson, 2016Sylville Smith, 2016Terence Crutcher, 2016Keith Lamont Scott, 2016Alfred Okwera Olango, 2016Deborah J. Danner, 2016Alton Sterling, 2016Jocques Clemmons, 2017Charleena Lyles, 2017Patrick Harmon, 2017Charles Smith, Jr., 2018Anthony Weber, 2018Markeis McGlockton, 2018Botham Shem Jean, 2018Jemel Roberson, 2018Emantic Fitzgerald Bradford Jr., 2018William McCoy, 2019Javier Ambler II, 2019Brandon Webber, 2019Elijah McClain, 2019Atatiana Jefferson, 2019Ahmaud Arbery, 2020Manuel Ellis, 2020Breonna Taylor, 2020George Floyd, 2020Rayshard Brooks, 2020Jacob Blake, 2020

Black Lives Matter: International

Clive Mensah, 2019Jamal Francique, 2020DAndre Anthony Campbell, 2020Caleb Tubila Njoko, 2020Regis Korchinski-Paquet, 2020

Related Entries

Benjamin Lloyd CrumpDarnella FrazierFerguson Riot and Ferguson Unrest, 2014-2015Black Lives Matter, Seattle Chapter, 2014-Baltimore Protests and Riots, 2015Black Lives Matter, Syracuse Chapter, 2015-Milwaukee Riot, 2016Charlotte Riot, 2016Erica Gwen-Elise Snipes Garner, 2017

Racial Violence in the United States Since 1660Lynching in the United States Since 1865Race, Crime, and Incarceration in the United StatesBlack Lives Matter Official Website

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The Black Lives Matter Movement (2013- )