Black Lives Matter is a big movement not only supported by Blacks. Many races, ethnicities, and cultures are participating in this movement. This movement warranted many protests that allowed individuals to voice their opinions and stand up for what they believe in. Blacks are still being discriminated against and racism is still prevalent in our society, today. This is sad considering how far we have come, yet it can’t seem to advance anymore.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail came to mind when I watched these protests on television. Martin Luther King Jr. states in his letter that people must put pressure on society in order for there to be a change. If a change does not occur from this pressure, action must be taken, such as peaceful protesting. As we see with these Black Lives Matter protests, Blacks and other individuals from different races, take action in order to be heard. Pressure has been put on society prior to these protests, but it did not seem to change much. Therefore, Blacks took it upon themselves to make their voices heard, which is important when wanting change.
I describe this movement as systemic injustice because the whole Black community is being affected during this time. Blacks are still mistreated for no reason and a change needs to be made to stop this. “Black Lives Matter” was made to impact society and make people start thinking and realizing what this movement really entails.
The Black community could be considered the “Other” of de Beauvoir’s theory in society because they are the minority when being compared to the majority group, such as the White community or the “One.” The Black community gets treated differently in ways more than one. For example, job discrimination still exists, housing inequality is still prevalent, and implicit and/or explicit biases towards the Black community is present. There has to come a point where society realizes it is better to stand up for each other instead of tearing each other down. We need to come together as a society and work together to make changes that will benefit not only the Black community but other minority groups as well.
This is a link to the Black Lives Matter Twitter page where they post videos, images, and paragraphs about the movement. They have many guest speakers who voice their opinions on the matter. They have over 900k followers and over 20k posts. https://twitter.com/Blklivesmatter?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
This YouTube video from NBA supports the BLM movement and shows clips from protests where you can see the slogan on many signs and shirts. You can, also, see the many races participating in this movement and supporting the Black community. You will see sayings such as “Equality,” “Active Faith,” and “#BlackLivesMatter” that all tie into the BLM movement. Basketball players and society members gather together, protest, and march as they chant “Black Lives Matter.”
Here are additional sites and images to visit to learn more about the BLM movement:
https://hopbe.org/blog/?p=93&gclid=Cj0KCQjwuL_8BRCXARIsAGiC51CrsnuMxfAoxevtab8CNilWxP7chTXswKtuwLhlnFOYTfFvhuk8UPYaArbwEALw_wcB
https://www.astraeafoundation.org/stories/black-lives-matter-2020/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwuL_8BRCXARIsAGiC51Ao0t9a9YKe-NwWvOu3agUwbAmSbZwTsWCbFA2R0A6XwTY8UYkne8saAnGQEALw_wcB
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/09/16/support-for-black-lives-matter-has-decreased-since-june-but-remains-strong-among-black-americans/