Black Lives Matter

Explore Our Online Exhibits

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

Breaking News

Worldwide Community Events

2026 October

Week 3

Sun 27
Mon 28
Tue 29
Wed 30
Thu 1
Fri 2
Sat 3
Sun 4
Mon 5
Tue 6
Wed 7
Thu 8
Fri 9
Sat 10
Sun 11
Mon 12
Tue 13
Wed 14
Thu 15
Fri 16
Sat 17
Sun 18
Mon 19
Tue 20
Wed 21
Thu 22
Fri 23
Sat 24
Sun 25
Mon 26
Tue 27
Wed 28
Thu 29
Fri 30
Sat 31

Share

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 Martin, Michael Brown, Eric 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.

Special News Series: Rising Up for Justice! – Breonna Taylor Grand Juror Says Homicide Charges Were Not Presented

October 20, 2020

An anonymous person on the jury of the Breonna Taylor court case believes that the homicide charges were not presented in the case.

Special News Series: Rising Up for Justice! – Citizen-Led Commission Launches Community-Based Program For Police Reform in Milwaukee

October 16, 2020

Milwaukee’s 16-person Collaborative Community Commission, which includes members of the Latino, Black, LGBTQ+ and Jewish communities, is working with the Milwaukee Police Department to develop a policy for community policing, an approach that generally involves closer collaboration between law enforcement and the residents they serve.

Special News Series: Rising Up For Justice! – Protesters in Portland Topple Statues of Lincoln and Roosevelt

October 12, 2020

Protests in Portland have persisted in the months since George Floyd was killed, sparking nationwide demonstrations for racial justice and against police brutality. While much of their focus has been on how Black people have been harmed, the protests have at times highlighted other causes, including societal reforms to address transgender rights, economic disparities and Native Americans.

Special News Series: Rising Up For Justice! – Police Retaliate Against Cole Family with Violent Attack Sending Mother to Hospital

October 10, 2020

On night 2 of peaceful protests against the decision not to prosecute the police officer who killed teenager Alvin Cole, police arrested and brutalized Cole’s mother and two sisters — and pulled others from their cars.

Special News Series: Rising Up For Justice! – They May Finally Arrest the Cop Responsible for Breonna Taylor’s Death

October 8, 2020

After reviewing thousands of pages concerning officers’ involvement in the death of Breonna Taylor, a Louisville investigator concluded that the entire debacle was based on a “misleading” affidavit used to obtain the search warrant for Taylor’s apartment, recommending possible criminal charges for the offending officer.

Special News Series: Rising Up For Justice! – There are proven ways to keep protests peaceful. Trump is doing the opposite.

October 3, 2020

Donald Trump has called on local and state officials to crack down as harshly as possible on BLM protests throughout the nation. Experts say that Trump’s rhetoric and actions inflame tensions and escalate protests further, instead of keeping the peace.

Special News Series: Rising Up For Justice! – ‘Kettling’ of demonstrators at protest could end up costing taxpayers millions

October 2, 2020

An international organization whose work advocating for refugees, political prisoners and victims of violence worldwide said Wednesday the NYPD intentionally and illegally carried out a massive attack on peaceful protesters. The event could end up costing taxpayers big time.

Special News Series: Rising Up For Justice! – CA to study, consider reparations for Black residents after landmark law passed

October 1, 2020

California has become the first state to adopt a law that requires a study of how the state could provide reparations to Black residents and the descendants of slaves.

Special News Series: Rising Up For Justice! – Workers at major chains are taking legal action in fight over employees’ right to wear BLM masks

September 30, 2020

Companies typically have latitude to determine dress codes, enforcing bans on Black Lives Matter gear can make corporate statements against racism look “insincere and performative.”

Special News Series: Rising Up For Justice! – Cars have hit BLM demonstrators 104 times since George Floyd protests began

September 27, 2020

There have been over 100 incidents of people driving vehicles into protests from May 27 through Sept. 5, including 96 by civilians and eight by police, according ta terrorism researcher at the University of Chicago’s Project on Security and Threats.