The movement

Origin of the movement

The Black Lives Matter is a social movement protesting against the injustices faced by African Americans in US society, particularly against abusive police conduct towards African-American citizens.

Black Lives Matter began in 2013, after white man George Zimmerman was acquitted after killing African-American teenager Trayvon Martin. The hashtag #BlackLivesMatter quickly began to be used on social media in protest of this verdict, seen by many as unfair and as denying the importance of anti-African American violence.

The co-founders of the movement are Alicia Garza, a labor organizer and left-wing author, Patrisse Cullors, activist and art college instructor, and Opal Tometi, executive director of the organization Black Alliance for Just Immigration.

The movement gained national and international attention as it was covered by the media simultaneously with the protests that started in Saint Louis, Missouri after Michael Brown was killed by a police officer in Ferguson in 2014.

After Brown’s death, ...