Black Lives Matter

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An NAACP flyer campaigning for the Dyer Anti-Lynching Bill, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives in 1922, but was filibustered to defeat in the Senate. Dyer, the NAACP, and freedom fighters around the country, like Flossie Baily, struggled for years to get the Dyer and other anti-lynching bills passed, to no avail. Today there is still no U.S. law specifically against lynching. In 2005, eighty of the 100 U.S. Senators voted for a resolution to apologize to victims' families and the country for their failure to outlaw lynching. Courtesy of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Some Exhibits to Come – One Hundred Years of Jim Crow
Mammy Statue JC Museum Ferris
Bibliography – One Hundred Years Of Jim Crow
Claude, age 23, just months before his 1930 murder. Courtesy of Faith Deeter.
Freedom’s Heroes During Jim Crow: Flossie Bailey and the Deeters
Souvenir Portrait of the Lynching of Abram Smith and Thomas Shipp, August 7, 1930, by studio photographer Lawrence Beitler. Courtesy of the Indiana Hisorical Society.
An Iconic Lynching in the North
Lynching Quilt
Claxton Dekle – Prosperous Farmer, Husband & Father of Two
Joshua Glover Plaque
Some Exhibits to Come – Three Centuries Of Enslavement
Harriet Tubman, "The Conductor," with fugitive slaves in Underground Railroad station
Bibliography – Three Centuries of Enslavement
Ancient manuscripts about mathematics and astronomy from Timbuktu, Mali
Some Exhibits to Come – African Peoples Before Captivity
Shackles for Adults & Children from the Henrietta Marie
Some Exhibits to Come – The Middle Passage
Slaveship Stowage Plan
What I Saw Aboard a Slave Ship in 1829
Arno Michaels
Life After Hate: A Former White Power Leader Redeems Himself

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Black Lives Matter, sometimes shortened to “BLM,” is an anti-racist movement that highlights racism and the disparities that evolve from racism, including police brutality and other anti-Black violence. Black Lives Matter gained popularity online after the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer was recorded and shared by a bystander. In response to the video, which shows officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, protests erupted around the world. These protests were often met with police violence, some of which has been declared illegal while protestors have been falsely arrested.

The momentum continued to draw attention to police violence, both as more Black lives were taken and as previous stories came to light. Trayvon MartinMichael BrownEric Garner, and Breonna Taylor are also victims who the movement has recognized. Thanks to the attention given to these cases, some of the perpetrators have finally faced justice, including Derek Chauvin, who has been convicted with murder.

BLM also encouraged police reform and greater investigations into policing, with some activists calling for reparations  or to defund the police and reroute funds to other social programs that may be more effective. The movement has further brought attention to international conflict and raised funds during the COVID-19 pandemic. In some ways, the movement reflects the previous Civil Rights Movement, which lasted through the 1960s to 1980s including the Black Panther Party, which provided community assistance. Because of this, the movement has been recognized for its historical significance. 

However, the movement has come under fire for protests that turned violent, for focusing too much on Black men, and for mismanaging funds raised.

A nonprofit organization, The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, also exists. Some people may refer to it as simply “Black Lives Matter.”

See all of our Black Lives Matter content below, starting with the most recent.

Biden to Appeal to Black Voters in Campaign Trip to Charleston, S.C.

January 8, 2024

President Biden will visit Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church this week, the site of a fatal hate crime in 2015, to remind voters of the significance of this election concerning racism and extremism.

Online racism is linked to PTSD symptoms in Black youth, study finds

January 5, 2024

A recent study has shown that Black children and teens are exposed to a concerning amount of racist hate online, which may be connected to rising suicide rates.

It’s Getting Hot in Here

December 21, 2023

Journalist Willy Blackmore discusses the concerns he’s developed while researching to write about climate change and environmental justice.

Georgia Election Worker Testifies Against Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani: “I Was Afraid For My Life”

December 14, 2023

A Georgia election worker was sent racist death threats after former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani accused her of rigging the polls.

Black man choked and shocked by police died because of drugs, officers’ lawyers argue at trial

December 12, 2023

A defense trial for three police officers in Tacoma, Washington rages onward due to the brutal murder of Manuel Ellis, a black man who was murdered in a mirror event to George Floyd three months prior to Floyd’s death.

Teaching Black Teens the Signs of Dating Violence

October 16, 2023

1 in 3 teens in the U.S. experience dating violence. However, being Black and a woman puts you at an even higher risk, according to a recent study.

An Officer Is Charged With Murder. Colleagues Briefly Drop Their Guns.

October 7, 2023

Tension is rising between London’s Metropolitan Police Service and the public after officers shot an unarmed Black man in London.

Trial to begin in death of Elijah McClain, who was injected with ketamine while in a police chokehold

September 19, 2023

The first of three trials for the two Aurora police officers involved in the death of Elijah McClain has begun.

California’s Congressional Black Caucus Push For Reparations After Poll Shows Voter Opposition

September 15, 2023

A new poll from the University of California, Berkeley found that a majority of residents oppose Black residents receiving casreparations, even after the state Assembly recommended them.

Rest In Power Elijah McClain: A Complete Timeline Of Everyone Being Held Accountable In His Death

September 15, 2023

The officers responsible for Elijah McClain’s death will finally be prosecuted for ending the young man’s life.