One of the most severe and challenging groups of issues that worsen people’s everyday experiences and make them fight for their rights and inclusion is the challenges of diversity. For example, Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a major international movement that addresses white privilege and all racially motivated incidents and violence and tries to protect the rights and freedoms of Black people. To gain a better view of the movement and its essence, it is beneficial to view it through the general education lenses. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to analyze the Black Lives Matter movement through the history lens and determine its impact on various institutions, problems, and events.
It is believed that almost all events in the world are repeated so that people learn their lesson and do not repeat their own or others’ mistakes. Therefore, it may be incredibly beneficial to view an event or issue under study through the lens of history. According to American Historical Association (2021), using the lens of history means making an attempt and gaining proper knowledge of the event’s actual background. In other words, it is helpful to learn about such relevant details as the objectives of the leaders and stakeholders, the essence of their actions, and the concerns and ideas of the people involved. When discussing these factors, it is also required to think about how they shaped the issue and defined its possible solutions and outcomes (American Historical Association, 2021). This is what needs to be explored about the Black Lives Matter movement.
First of all, the mission and goals of the leaders and participants of BLM are outlined on the movement’s official website. Their goal is to improve the lives and everyday experiences of Black people by centering their joy, creating space for their innovation and imagination, and countering and combating acts of cruelty and violence (Black Lives Matter, 2021). Overall, the mission of the BLM movement is to eliminate white supremacy.
Further, the lens of history also deals with exploring valuable artifacts. For example, it is possible to study the first-person accounts of those who witnessed the event themselves (Southern New Hampshire University, n.d.), and their story may be different from what is described by the media. For example, according to Abdo (2020), who was a participant in the 2020 protest in Minneapolis, people were welcoming and patient with each other. The fact that a group of Indigenous people joined the movement and supported it despite the centuries-long violence against them means that the idea behind the BLM is actually peaceful, valuable, promising, and respectful (Abdo, 2020). Therefore, it is essential to analyze an event by studying the first-person accounts.
There are two major issues highlighted and impacted by Black Lives Matter. First, it is through this movement that many incidents related to racism become known, and the BLM members immediately disseminate information, not allowing it to be hidden (Buchanan et al., 2020). Thus, the problem of racial discrimination is highlighted, and the movement manages to solve it locally, which will eventually lead to the global elimination of racism. Second, the movement addresses police brutality and spreads people’s awareness of the existence of this issue (Buchanan et al., 2020). By ensuring that victims are always named and humanized, and those policemen who had exceeded their authority are punished, the BLM movement gradually solves this problem.
Unfortunately, not all persons recognize equality and immorality of discrimination, which is why a vast number of organizations and movements unite volunteers and help people who face unfair treatment because of their race. Black Lives Matter is a great example of these movements, and it brings incredible difference and helps an extended number of people. This movement tries to eliminate discrimination and underrepresentation of Black people and address the fact that diversity is still unwelcomed. Its participants improve the lives and experiences of Black people and do their best to fight racially motivated police brutality. Viewing the movement through the humanities lens may bring valuable insights, and this is the purpose of this paper.
First of all, it is necessary to talk about the lens of humanities. When viewing an event or a problem through this lens, researchers typically try to “ask about cultural values and why they matter” and suggest one to set aside their ideals, principles, and values to take an objective look at another culture (Southern New Hampshire University, n.d., para. 5). Additionally, it is also possible to use this lens to analyze how the issue under study is represented in culture (Southern New Hampshire University, 2021). This information will allow researchers to evaluate the problem or event and gain valuable insights regarding society’s perception of it.
To begin with, Black Lives Matter can be analyzed through the first aspect of the lens of humanities. One of the movement’s purposes is to make others, especially racists and opponents of BLM, set their values and principles aside and forget about stereotypes (Black Lives Matter, 2021). By doing this, many of these individuals will be able to evaluate the current level of discrimination from a new perspective, and some people will understand that nothing can justify violence, police brutality, white supremacy, and racial wars (Lebron, 2017). They will see the essence and value of African Americans and other persons who get discriminated (Lebron, 2017). What is more, the BLM supporters also try to set their principles aside when searching for the key causes of the current situation. For some of them, it may be difficult not to blame all white people for their sufferings, so it takes time and effort to find peace and unite against this and other global problems.
As for the second aspect of the lens of humanities, which deals with the cultural representation of the event, a number of interesting facts may be found when talking about Black Lives Matter. According to researchers, this movement and those tragic events that its participants address inspires many artists to create portraits of police brutality and racism victims (Widewalls Editorial, 2021). For example, a picture of Breonna Taylor that was initially created for Vanity Fair Magazine was bought by museums, while a portrait of Amanda Gorman was donated to Harvard University (Widewalls Editorial, 2021). It is valuable that many people decide to dedicate their artworks to Black Lives Matter. For instance, street artists paint graffiti, depicting victims’ names, prayers, words of encouragement, and vows not to forget, and poets devote their poems to the BLM movement. They do not allow others to forget about the victims or underestimate the idea behind the movement.
Black Lives Matter as a whole and its cultural representation interact with me in my personal and professional lives. My husband is African American, and our son is multiracial, making me a supporter of the movement. I hope that my beloved ones will be treated better and more equally in the future. Thus, every time I see graffiti on a building or read a poem about the recent Black victims of police brutality, it reminds me that there is hope, and many people are advocating for the rights and safety of Black people. As for my professional life, as a white female in the banking/financial industry, I meet various people, including those who face social injustice, and it is my responsibility to make them feel comfortable while interacting with me.
References
Abdo, Z. (2020). A first-person account of a Black Lives Matter protest in Minneapolis turned violent by police. Inside Edition. Web.
American Historical Association. (2021). The lens of history. Web.
Black Lives Matter. (2021). About. Web.
Buchanan, L., Bui, Q., & Patel, J. K. (2020). Black Lives Matter may be the largest movement in U.S. history. The New York Times. Web.
Southern New Hampshire University. (n.d.). IDS the four general education lenses [PDF document]. Web.
Black Lives Matter. (2021). About. Web.
Lebron, C. J. (2017). The making of Black Lives Matter: A brief history of an idea. Oxford University Press.
Southern New Hampshire University. (2021). The lenses identified. SNHU Shapiro Library. Web.
Southern New Hampshire University. (n.d.). IDS the four general education lenses [PDF document]. Web.
Widewalls Editorial. (2021). How is the art world responding to the Black Lives Matter movement now? Widewalls. Web.