Following high-profile police killings of black men in Baton Rouge and Minneapolis, fatal attacks on officers by anti-police gunmen and more recently protests in North Carolina after the police shooting of Keith Scott, a black man the United States is being forced to confront its deep-rooted problems with race and inequality.
A strong narrative is emerging from these tragedies of racially motivated targeting of black Americans by the police force. It is backed up by a new report on the city of Baltimore by the Department of Justice, which has found that black residents of low-income neighbourhoods are more likely to be stopped and searched by police officers, even if white residents are statistically more likely to be caught carrying guns and drugs.
In the background, a campaign called Black Lives Matter celebrated its third anniversary. The movement, perhaps best known by its hashtag #BlackLivesMatter, grew in protest against police killings of black people in the United States. It has now crossed the Atlantic, with events and rallies held in the United Kingdom.
What is Black Lives Matter?
The movement was born in 2013, after the man who shot and killed an unarmed black teenager, Trayvon Martin, was cleared of his murder. A Californian activist, Alicia Garza, responded to the jurys decision on Facebook with a post that ended: Black people. I love you. I love us. Our lives matter. The hashtag was born, and continued to grow in prominence with each new incident and protest.
The formal organization that sprung from the protests started with the goal of highlighting the disproportionate number of incidences in which a police officer killed a member of the black community. But it soon gained international recognition, after the death of Michael Brown in Missouri a year later.
Black Lives Matter now describes itself as a chapter-based national organization working for the validity of black life. It has developed to include the issues of black women and LGBT communities, undocumented black people and black people with disabilities.
According to this article in the Washington Post, 1,502 people have been shot and killed by on-duty police officers since the beginning of 2015. A cursory glance at the numbers reveals nothing to indicate racial bias: 732 of the victims were white and 381 were black (382 were of another race).
In fact, on the surface, these figures suggest its more likely for a white person to be shot by a police officer than a black person. But proportionally speaking, this isnt the case.
Almost half of the victims of police shootings in the US are white, but then, white people make up 62% of the American population. Black people, on the other hand, make up only 13% of the US population yet 24% of all the people killed by the police are black.
Furthermore, 32% of these black victims were unarmed when they were killed. Thats twice the number of unarmed white people to die at the hands of the police.
After adjusting for population percentage, this is the picture: black Americans are two and a half times more likely than white Americans to be shot and killed by police officers.
However, we have to count for distortion of the data, for various reasons. Firstly, it is collected through the voluntary collaboration of police departments with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, so not the full picture. Also, police departments dont always identify a shooting if an officer has been involved. Additionally, police-involved shootings that are under investigation are only counted once the investigation has concluded, so many recent incidents are not being counted.
Dont other lives matter too?
The slogan Black Lives Matter, created as a riposte to the institutional racism that lingers on inside the American justice system, has met with its own controversy. Objectors have taken it to mean black lives matter more. The All Lives Matter campaign, for instance, is one among several groups that have sprung up to argue that every human life, not just those of black people, should be given equal consideration.
In the wake of the mass shooting of five police officers in Dallas in July, a new campaign has taken root. Blue Lives Matter, a national organization made up of police officers and their supporters, places the blame for what they see as a war on cops squarely at the feet of the BLM movement and the Obama administration.
But while the data tells a more positive story that the average number of police officers intentionally killed each year has in fact fallen to its lowest level during Barack Obama's presidency hate crime is still a daily reality in the US, and many feel that state-wide policies to curb it should be extended beyond the black community to include the police themselves. Police officers are a minority group, too, former police officer Randy Sutton, a spokesperson for the Blue Lives Matter campaign has been quoted as saying.
Back in Dallas, Chief of Police David Brown has been praised for his efforts to increase transparency and community-friendly policing. He has been credited with a reduction in police-related shootings and fewer complaints about the use of force by police officers.
In 2015, the Black Lives Matter movement launched Campaign Zero, a group lobbying for changes to policies and laws on federal, state and local levels.
"We must end police violence so we can live and feel safe in this country," the group writes on the Vision Zero website. "We can live in a world where the police don't kill people by limiting police interventions, improving community interactions and ensuring accountability."
What next for Black Lives Matter?
So far, the media has focused on the campaigns events and protests on the street, but Black Lives Matter has also been involved in campaigning to change legislation.
As recently as August this year, the movement released more than 40 policy recommendations, including the demilitarization of law enforcement, reparation laws, the unionization of unregulated industries and the decriminalization of drugs.
Its efforts prior to that have had some success. One example is the creation of a civilian oversight board in St Louis City, which reviews and investigates citizens complaints and allegations of misconduct against the police.
Building on the legacy of the civil rights and LGBT movements, Black Lives Matter has created a new mechanism for confronting racial inequality. The movement also draws on feminist theories of intersectionality, which call for a unified response to issues of race, class, gender, sexuality and nationality.
Have you read?Barack Obama: standout moments from his presidency5 things to know about the US election
More:
The Black Lives Matter movement explained | World Economic Forum
- Activist actor Kendrick Sampson cleared for trial against LAPD over Black Lives Matter protest - Courthouse News Service - April 2nd, 2024 [April 2nd, 2024]
- How Black Lives Matter is destroying public education - Washington Times - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Can Employers Ban Workers From Wearing Black Lives Matter Insignia To Protest Discrimination At Work? - Employee ... - Mondaq News Alerts - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- City seeks to avoid trial over Black Lives Matter mural - Palo Alto Online - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- NLRB: 'Black Lives Matter' insignia allowed New England Biz Law Update - New England Biz Law Update - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- New research details negative consumer impacts of BLM support on major companies and brands - Phys.org - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Photos of Trump with His 'Black Supporters' Are Everywhere ... Can You Tell They're All Fake? - The Root - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Home Depot Barred Employee from Wearing 'Black Lives Matter' on Uniform. Did It Break the Law? - SHRM - February 29th, 2024 [February 29th, 2024]
- NLRB says Home Depot broke law in banning reference to 'Black Lives Matter' from worker's apron - The Atlanta Journal Constitution - February 29th, 2024 [February 29th, 2024]
- Church of England tells parishes to set up 'race action plan' put forward by pro-BLM bishop - The Telegraph - February 29th, 2024 [February 29th, 2024]
- The designer of the Black Disabled Lives Matter symbol on zines, parenting and solidarity - The 19th* - February 29th, 2024 [February 29th, 2024]
- NLRB rules Home Depot violated the law - HR Brew - February 29th, 2024 [February 29th, 2024]
- It's Protected: NLRB Finds Black Lives Matter Insignia on Employee Uniform Constitutes Protected Activity Under ... - Labor Relations Update - February 29th, 2024 [February 29th, 2024]
- DC Seeks $401 Million To Save Black Lives Matter Plaza Area - The New York Sun - February 29th, 2024 [February 29th, 2024]
- BLM Coloring Book Teaches Elementary Students the Nuclear Family is Racist - Daily Citizen - February 29th, 2024 [February 29th, 2024]
- BLM co-founder slams Taylor Swift fans as 'racists' and Travis Kelce-led Chiefs winning the Super Bowl as a 'r - Daily Mail - February 29th, 2024 [February 29th, 2024]
- New Ruling Says Home Depot Broke The Law When It Barred Workers From Wearing BLM Logos On Uniforms - Essence - February 29th, 2024 [February 29th, 2024]
- Home Depot Is Ordered to Reinstate Worker Who Quit Over 'BLM' Logo - The New York Times - February 22nd, 2024 [February 22nd, 2024]
- How parents talked about Black Lives Matter differed by race, UW study finds - The Seattle Times - February 22nd, 2024 [February 22nd, 2024]
- 'You have Black Lives Matter...all lives matter' says community nurse in Buffalo about making change - WKBW 7 News Buffalo - February 22nd, 2024 [February 22nd, 2024]
- BLM movement's social justice politics and 'queer, trans-affirming' lessons delivered to kids as young as 5 in NYC school - New York Post - February 22nd, 2024 [February 22nd, 2024]
- AAS 290 examines social media and BLM movement - The Michigan Daily - February 22nd, 2024 [February 22nd, 2024]
- Home Depot employee's rights violated in firing over 'BLM' drawn on apron: labor board - Fox Business - February 22nd, 2024 [February 22nd, 2024]
- Saratoga Black Lives Matter organizers respond to AG probe - Spectrum News - February 22nd, 2024 [February 22nd, 2024]
- Church officials call for community unity in wake of 'Black Lives Matter' flag thefts - Woburn Daily Times - February 22nd, 2024 [February 22nd, 2024]
- Letter to the editor: Black Lives Matter - Pierce County Journal - February 22nd, 2024 [February 22nd, 2024]
- Study: How parents talked about Black Lives Matter differed by race - Yahoo News - February 22nd, 2024 [February 22nd, 2024]
- The Summer of 2020: George Floyd and the Resurgence of the Black Lives Matter Movement - WREG NewsChannel 3 - February 22nd, 2024 [February 22nd, 2024]
- AG: Saratoga Springs BLM activist arrests violated rights - The Daily Gazette - February 22nd, 2024 [February 22nd, 2024]
- Labor board: Home Depot violated labor law by firing an employee who drew 'BLM' on work apron - The Atlanta Journal Constitution - February 22nd, 2024 [February 22nd, 2024]
- Statue of slave trader Edward Colston will be permanently kept at a Bristol museum nearly four years after it - Daily Mail - February 22nd, 2024 [February 22nd, 2024]
- UW study: How parents talked about Black Lives Matter differed by race - Herald Palladium - February 20th, 2024 [February 20th, 2024]
- A gunman killed and injured protesters at a BLM march. Why did police blame the victims? - The Guardian US - February 20th, 2024 [February 20th, 2024]
- BLM has reshaped how we think of Palestine - Middle East Institute - February 20th, 2024 [February 20th, 2024]
- Texas DA blasts governor's move to pardon man convicted of murder of BLM protester - Dayton 24/7 Now - February 20th, 2024 [February 20th, 2024]
- Black Lives Matter PAC Spent Most Of Its Money In 2023 Paying Its Own Treasurer For 'Consulting' - Daily Caller - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- How parents talked with kids about Black Lives Matter differed by race - Futurity: Research News - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Vermont Conversation: What is happening to really ensure that Black lives matter? - VTDigger - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Abbott-Prompted Daniel Perry Pardon Review Underway Following Conviction for BLM Protester's Murder - The Texan - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Black Lives Matter flag raised at US Consulate - The Daily Herald - February 1st, 2024 [February 1st, 2024]
- Seattle pays off 'fiery but mostly peaceful' Black Lives Matter protestors in 2020 riot case: Rising - The Hill - February 1st, 2024 [February 1st, 2024]
- LAPD Raided Home Of Black Lives Matter Attorney And Took Unlawful Photos, Raising Concerns Of A Harassment ... - Essence - February 1st, 2024 [February 1st, 2024]
- Issa Rae says Black stories are 'less of a priority' for TV bosses after two of her shows are axed - despite s - Daily Mail - February 1st, 2024 [February 1st, 2024]
- 'Watchmen' Creator Alan Moore Donates Movie and TV Royalties to Black Lives Matter - The Mary Sue - September 21st, 2023 [September 21st, 2023]
- Book Review: Blood in the Machine, by Brian Merchant - The New York Times - September 21st, 2023 [September 21st, 2023]
- Uninvited and Unaccountable: How CBP Policed George Floyd ... - The Intercept - September 21st, 2023 [September 21st, 2023]
- Opinion | Why More Countries Are Adopting Feminist Foreign Policies - The New York Times - September 21st, 2023 [September 21st, 2023]
- How 'Swagger' Raised Its Game - The New York Times - June 28th, 2023 [June 28th, 2023]
- Is a Dukes of Hazzard reboot coming to Netflix? - Dexerto - June 28th, 2023 [June 28th, 2023]
- Why Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing Still Matters - MovieWeb - June 28th, 2023 [June 28th, 2023]
- The Fatal Tension at the Heart of Wokeism - TIME - June 28th, 2023 [June 28th, 2023]
- Pat Robertson, broadcaster who helped make religion central to ... - The Associated Press - June 10th, 2023 [June 10th, 2023]
- Blackness and Ethnic Representation in Broadway Theater - MetroFocus - June 10th, 2023 [June 10th, 2023]
- Rhode Island Gov. McKee Calling on Textbook Companies to Resist ... - The 74 - June 10th, 2023 [June 10th, 2023]
- New Black Lives Matter tax documents show foundation is tightening its belt, has $30M in assets - The Associated Press - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- New Black Lives Matter tax documents show foundation is tightening its belt, has $30M in assets - Yahoo! Voices - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Study on Black Lives Matter protests provides insight into the link between coalitional affiliation and moral elevation - PsyPost - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Opinion | America Has Become Both More and Less Dangerous Since Black Lives Matter - The New York Times - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- David Starkey in bizarre claim that left-wing wants to replace Holocaust with BLM - The Independent - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Black Lives Matter activist accused of owing the BFI 200,000 'spun web of lies' over other debtee - Daily Mail - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- David Starkey says activists including Black Lives Matter are 'trying to destroy white culture' - Daily Mail - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- I'm a Couples Therapist. Something New Is Happening in ... - The New York Times - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Countering organized violence in the United States - Brookings Institution - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Trio suspected of vandalizing Black Lives Matter banner on Susquehanna University campus - Sunbury Daily Item - March 11th, 2023 [March 11th, 2023]
- Too pretty to be Aboriginal: Meet the model who wants to abolish our beauty paradigm - Sydney Morning Herald - March 11th, 2023 [March 11th, 2023]
- New York City Said It Will Pay $21,500 Each To Protesters Who Were Kettled And Beaten By Police During Black Lives Matter Demonstrations - BuzzFeed... - March 4th, 2023 [March 4th, 2023]
- Dad of white boy forced to his knees and to say Black Lives Matter speaks out speaks out - Daily Mail - March 4th, 2023 [March 4th, 2023]
- Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action kicks off for thousands of U.S. schools - Fox News - February 7th, 2023 [February 7th, 2023]
- Barbara Broccoli & Phoebe Waller-Bridge Among 100 To Pen UK Government Letter Over Gross Violations Of Human And Womens Rights In Iran - Deadline - January 23rd, 2023 [January 23rd, 2023]
- The Agenda of Black Lives Matter Is Far Different From the Slogan - January 19th, 2023 [January 19th, 2023]
- Black Lives Matter May Be the Largest Movement in U.S. History - January 19th, 2023 [January 19th, 2023]
- After Raising $90 Million in 2020, Black Lives Matter Has $42 Million ... - January 19th, 2023 [January 19th, 2023]
- Mich. man who targeted Black Lives Matter supporters pleads guilty to ... - December 28th, 2022 [December 28th, 2022]
- I think they just saw a black girl: Author accuses bottle shop of racially profiling 12-year-old daughter - The Age - December 28th, 2022 [December 28th, 2022]
- Biden Admin to Drop Half a Million on Artificial Intelligence That Detects Microaggressions on Social Media - Washington Free Beacon - December 23rd, 2022 [December 23rd, 2022]
- Black Lives Matter's Alicia Garza: Leadership today doesn't look like ... - December 21st, 2022 [December 21st, 2022]
- Black Lives Matter: How far has the movement come? - December 21st, 2022 [December 21st, 2022]
- BLM has left Black Americans worse off since the movement began ... - December 18th, 2022 [December 18th, 2022]
- These are the major brands donating to the Black Lives Matter ... - CNET - December 18th, 2022 [December 18th, 2022]
- "Although I won the tournament, it was the message that made me feel proud" - Naomi Osaka on bringing the Black Lives Matter protest to the... - December 18th, 2022 [December 18th, 2022]