Black Lives Matter

The early aughts saw the reinvigoration of social protests as the hope Obama’s election offered was displaced by a dismal and violent reality. Additionally, the rise of cheap technology and social media made it easier to spread news of the rampant, often deadly anti-Black violence perpetrated by both private individuals and state officials tasked to “protect and serve.” Below you will find a selection of articles and media relating to the Black Lives Matter movement and the victims it calls us to remember, as well as the ongoing legacy of this social justice movement.

“How Trayvon Martin’s Death Launched a New Generation of Black Activism”. By Mychal Denzel Smith. The Nation. 27 August 2014.

“A Herstory of the #BlackLivesMatter Movement by Alicia Garza”. By Alicia Garza. Feminist Wire. 7 October 2014.

“Michael Brown Wasn’t a Superhuman Demon”. By Jamelle Bouie. Slate. 26 November 2014.

“No Justice for Rekia Boyd as Chicago Police Officer Who Killed Her is Found 'Not Guilty' by Judge”. By Kevin Gosztola. Common Dreams. 21 April 2015.

“America's big criminal justice lie: What one cop's acquittal reveals about police violence & Rekia Boyd's death”. By Katie McDonough. Salon. 21 April 2015.

“One year later: Eric Garner’s death led to most active US protests since the 60s”. By Jessica Glenza and Oliver Laughland. The Guardian. 17 July 2015.

“#BlackLivesMatter: the birth of a new civil rights movement”. By Elizabeth Day. The Guardian. 19 July 2015.

“How a death in Ferguson sparked a movement in America”. By Shannon Luibrand. CBS News. 7 August 2015.

“New video appears to show three police officers kneeling on George Floyd”. By Paul P. Murphy. CNN. 3 June 2020.

“Why The Killing of George Floyd Sparked an American Uprising”. By Alex Altman. Time Magazine. 4 June 2020.

“George Floyd’s killing has opened the wounds of centuries of American racism”. By Emily Stewart. Vox. 10 June 2020.

“93% of Black Lives Matter Protests Have Been Peaceful, New Report Finds”. By Sanya Mansoor. Time Magazine. 5 September 2020.

“How George Floyd changed the online conversation around BLM”. By Valerie Wirtschafter. The Brookings Institution. 17 June 2021.

#BlackLivesMatter

"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor."

Desmond Tutu

Breonna Taylor and #SayHerName

“#SayHerName: why Kimberlé Crenshaw is fighting for forgotten women”. By Homa Khaleeli. The Guardian. 30 May 2016.

“Black Women’s Lives Matter: The Breonna Taylor Murder”. Historian Speaks. 31 May 2020.

“The ‘Say Her Name’ Movement Started for a Reason: We Forget Black Women Killed by Police”. By Precious Fondren. Teen Vogue. 11 June 2020.

“Breonna Taylor's Case Says It Loud and Clear: Black Lives Don't Matter”. By Andrea S. Boyles. Newsweek. 24 September 2020.

“Breonna Taylor, police brutality, and the importance of #SayHerName”. By Melissa Brown and Rashawn Ray. The Brookings Institution. 25 September 2020.

“Breonna Taylor: If Black lives matter, black deaths should matter too”. By Mike Friedberg. Ceasefire Magazine. 29 September 2020.

“Breonna Taylor: A beloved sister becomes a symbol of pain, an icon of hope”. By Shaylah Brown. USA Today. 3 February 2021.

“BLM Co-Founder Reflects On Breonna Taylor's Death”. NPR. 13 March 2021.

“ 'But surely that approach inflames racial hatred and anti-whiteism?'

'My lord, blacks are not unaware of the hardships they endure or what the government is doing to them. We want them to stop accepting these hardships, to confront them. People must not just give in to the hardships of life, they must find a way–even in this environment–to develop hope. Hope for themselves; hope for this country. Now I think that is what black consciousness is all about' "

Cry Freedom (1987)

“Black Lives Matter: A movement in photos”. ABC News.

“Police Brutality at the Black Lives Matter Protests | Investigation”. Forensic Architecture.

“Why Teaching Black Lives Matter Matters | Part I”. By Jamilah Pitts. Learning For Justice. Summer 2017.

“Bringing Black Lives Matter Into the Classroom | Part II”. By Jamilah Pitts. Learning For Justice. Summer 2017.

“The Quiet Casualties of the Movement for Black Lives”. By John Eligon. The New York Times. 28 March 2018.

“In 2020, the Black Lives Matter movement shook the world”. By Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath. Al Jazeera. 31 December 2020.

“The global impact of George Floyd: How Black Lives Matter protests shaped movements around the world”. By Jason Silverstein. CBS News. 4 June 2021.

“What is Black Lives Matter and what are the aims?” By Adina Campbell. BBC News. 13 June 2021.

“From Civil Rights to Black Lives Matter. Protest expert Aldon Morris explains how social justice movements succeed”. By Aldon Morris. Scientific American. 3 February 2021.

“What George Floyd Changed”. Politico. 23 May 2021.

“Black Lives Matter at 10 years: 8 ways the movement has been highly effective”. By Rashawn Ray. The Brookings Institution. 12 October 2022.

“Has Black Lives Matter Changed the World?” By Jay Caspian King. The New Yorker. 21 April 2023.

“Statement From President Joe Biden on Four Years Since George Floyd’s Murder”. The White House. 24 May 2024.

“The Black Lives Matter era is over. It taught us the limits of diversity for diversity’s sake”. By Nesrine Malik. The Guardian. May 2024.

Legacy

Videos

“A brief history of the Black Lives Matter movement”. CBC Kids News. 5 June 2020.

“8 Minutes and 46 Seconds: The Killing of George Floyd | Full Documentary”. Sky News. 15 June 2020.

“Black Lives Matter explained: The history of a movement”. Channel 4 News. 16 June 2020.

“Voices from the Black Lives Matter Protests (A Short Film)”. Vanity Fair. 24 Aug 2020.

“What Black Lives Matter means to an 11-year-old”. Vox. 31 Aug 2020.

“"America's Moment of Reckoning": Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor & Cornel West on Uprising Against Racism”. Democracy Now! 31 December 2020.

“Kimberlé Crenshaw | #SayHerName: Black Women’s Stories of Police Violence and Public Silence”. Author Events. 16 November 2023.