Black Lives Matter was founded in 2013 in the United States, the international movement of activists who oppose violence against black people. In the summer of 2013, the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter was first used on social networks. The reason was the acquittal of George Zimmerman, who killed African-American teenager Trayvon Martin. Black Lives Matter organizes protests, rallies, and demonstrations in connection with cases of violence and murder by police officers in the performance of their duties, as well as against racial discrimination. Although racism has not yet been completely eradicated, the organization continues to fight it.
Thousands of people took to the streets in Minneapolis, other cities in the United States, and worldwide. In the early days, the protests in the United States were peaceful but soon turned violent: there were reports of torched cars, vandalism, looting of stores, and even shooting. Buchanan et al. state that more than 40 percent of all U.S. counties held protests (Buchanan et al.). In other countries of the world, the protesters targeted historical monuments that, in their opinion, symbolize racial injustice. In addition, the protesters demanded increased attention to the manifestations of racism in public debates.
The movement is aimed at fighting racism and for the civil rights of black people. The primary catalyst for creating this movement was the death of a black teenager, Trayvon Martin. His killer was acquitted despite a large body of evidence suggesting that the murder was committed for racist reasons. The subsequent murder of a black man by a police officer further energized people on social networks and gave impetus to promoting the Black Lives Matter movement. The movement began to use disobedience to attract politicians, society, and the media to more actively spread resonant situations.
In conclusion, the movement actively fights racism and murders of black people by police officers. Unfortunately, as long as there is racial hatred in people, there is no confidence that the movement can fix this situation. Anyway, the actions of the activists of the campaign are aimed at establishing equality in the world. Thanks to the joint efforts of people, there is a chance that the situation will change for the better.
Reference
Buchanan, Larry et al. “Black Lives Matter May Be the Largest Movement in U.S. History.” The New York Times, 2020. Web.