(Archive September 2019) Understanding the Black Lives Matter Movement

A Student’s Perspective and Appeal for Change

By Abreyana Moore | Observer Contributor 

The Black Lives Matter movement has always been around, it has just had different names. Some may know it as the Civil Rights Movement, or the March on Washington, or even Selma to Montgomery. These, in a sense, are all the same, with the same message and the same pain.  On July 13th, 2013,  three women of color gave birth to the movement we know today as Black Lives Matter. 

The Black Lives Matter Global Network is a chapter-based, member-led organization whose mission is to build local power and to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes. The founders, Patrisse Khan-Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi are all strong members of their communities and have built this organization in wake of the murder of Trayvon Martin. 

Though the movement has a strong following, some people are not happy with what it stands for, saying that it takes away the value of other lives. There has also been retaliation against police, leading police to start the Blue Lives Matter movement. Other communities have also started their own similar movements, such as, “ Trans Lives Matter,” “White Lives Matter,” “Muslim Lives Matter,” and “All Lives Matter”.   

The injustice to African Americans has reached another all-time high and people are fed up. People who are African-American/Black are twice as likely to be killed by a police officer while unarmed compared to a Caucasian/White individual. Out of the 2.3 million people who are incarcerated in the United States, an estimated 1 million of them are African-Americans/Black. 

69% of the victims of police brutality in the United States who are African-American/Black were suspected of a non-violent crime and were unarmed.

 It is time that America makes a change and sets an example for the rest of the world. Before the problem gets worse let’s work on making changes in our own community.