Who are the founders?
The Black Lives Matter movement and organisation was co-founded by three black women (I bet you didn’t know that!) Alicia Garza/Patrisse Cullors/Opal Tometi.
Alicia Garza - a queer black woman who challenges the misconception that cisgender black men go through when involved with people in society and police officers. “In order to truly understand how devastating and widespread this type of violence is in Black America, we must view this epidemic through a lens of race, gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity.”
Patrisse Cullors – She is one of New York Times Best-selling authors. Her most recent performance piece was a highlight of the impact of mass criminalisation and state violence in Black Communities across the US.
Opal Tometi – She leads Black organisation for immigrant rights, the Black Alliance for Just Immigration. They also advocate for wider communities such as Afro-Latino, African, and Caribbean immigrant communities, helping families win reunification visas. She herself is also a daughter of Nigerian immigrants. She is a manager of survivors of domestic abuse and was a lead architect of the black-brown coalition of Arizona .
About #BLM
Black Lives Matter was made official on July 13th, 2013 after the shooting of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old young man of African American heritage on February 26th, 2012. The Black Lives Matter movement and organisation was formed, to create an awareness on how easily black people are made as a walking and living target by the police force. It is global organisation mainly popular in the US, Canada and the UK. The movement helps support people of different backgrounds within the black community such as the black queer and trans people, disabled people, undocumented people, people with records, women, and all Black lives along the gender spectrum.
The movement helped to educate people that black lives clearly are not being valued, as it is statistically proven that black people as a minority are easily oppressed and discriminated against. It allows others to acknowledge their privileges and educate people and families as to why we are still unhappy. Over the years the movement has increased in a way that is unimaginable within other communities in support of BLM and how it may impact them and others they know.
This has been shown on countless occasions, for example Oluwatoyin “Toyin” Salau an American woman that went missing on June 6th after tweeting about being sexually assaulted. Seven days later Oluwatoyin was dead in Tallahassee, Florida on Saturday, June 13, 2020. Her death was later confirmed on Monday June 15, 2020. Oluwatoyin was only 19 years old and she, alongside many black women that have been killed, raped or racially targeted by the police force and society will not be forgotten.
“The call for Black lives to matter is a rallying cry for ALL Black Lives striving for liberation.”
“Every dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength,
the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”
References
Written By Akwaugo & Ruona
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