Introduction
A young boy, Trayvon Martin was shot by a police officer, George Zimmerman in Florida in 2012. A year later, the officer was acquitted of this second- degree murder, and it led to an uproar among the people of color. What started as a Facebook love message to the black lives led to the birth of the viral #blacklivesmatter.
It was started by three activists, Partrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza and Opal Tometti, who demanded justice for the young boy’s killing and wanted an end to the racial inequality witnessed. The movement has gained followers from the USA and beyond, and it has grown to have a substantial impact in political and legal matters.
Some of the issues that the movement needs to be addressed and eradicated are:
- Police brutality
- Social profiling
- Illegal killings
- Racial inequality
Outline
The black lives matter movement is a decentralized network that lacks a hierarchy. It is driven by the common goal or ending racism against people of color, more so for the black lives in America. After going viral on social media, it has attracted activities from across the globe to join in and fight for black lives.
An activist on Twitter, Ziad Ahmed was asked what he is passionate about in his application to Stanford University. He wrote #blacklivesmatter over and over – they got the point and good thing, he was accepted. He posted a sample of the letter on social media.
It is clear that this is a campaign that has strong roots and it is not going away soon. An outline of the main topics raised in the campaign includes:
- Bringing economic justice to people of color
An African-American has a difficult time owning homes, getting decent jobs and receiving fair treatment at work just because of the complexion. This movement seeks the change this attitude and promotes equality.
- End war on black lives
A person of color cannot walk freely in a hoodie in the streets without fear of the police going after them. In the unjust killings of a teenager from the hood, you will find that some were suspected to be armed when reaching the hand to the pocket, and got shot.
- Leadership for Blacks
Leadership positions for activists, intellectuals and citizens from the black lives community are hard to get because of skin color. The black lives matter movement seeks to reform black activism and get deserved positions in power.
In analyzing strategies to make the mission and goals of the movement succeed, several theses have been written and can be divided into the following three group. For the argumentative essay, the first one shall be the main point of interest.
- Diagnosis: police and incarceration
- Resistance: Rights to the City and Suburb
- Aesthetics: From Cities to Curricula
Diagnosis: Policing and Incarceration
The movement advocates for the fair treatment of accused persons to eliminate the treatment difference between offenders of different skin colors. The brutality witnessed when arresting innocent and felons from the society has raised eyebrows in the past, but with this movement, things are bound to change because of black lives matter.
In these theses, some of the greatest activists advocate for the abolishment of mass incarceration, claiming. Their persuasive essays state that instead of spending money to make better incarceration centers and building bigger cells, the government and architects of societal law can spend it improving the neighborhoods with notorious convicts. According to research, this could work.
Mass incarceration, according to Amber Wiley, extends to the community into schools where disciplinary practices set the stage for it. Others argue that the ‘stop-and-frisk; and ‘broken window policing are used, and they are not acceptable. Either way the main point to be passed across is that there are better ways to discipline an offender, and punishments do not have to be inhumane.
Black Futures
Black future is part black lives matter, focused on unveiling the future of African-Americans. Its primary concern is what will the future generations have to experience, and is there anything that can be to make their lives better?
If you start by teaching young ones the importance of not judging people by their color, it shall have an impact. There should be an introduction of more history, designs, theories, and cultures in the curriculum taught in schools about blacks. This way, both white and African-American students get to appreciate diversity and understand that everybody fought their battle then.
What would the forefathers of the blacks generation say if they saw what goes on? They fought for freedom and freed themselves from titles like ‘nigga’ that were given to them to mock them, only for the generation after to have to explain why they have skin color, experience systemic dehumanization and biased policing in their home country.
In recognition of the importance of black futures, the month of February has been named the black futures month. This will not replace the initial Black History Month marked in February, but rather, conjoin it. In this month, blacks in college and out there express themselves through art, with the best pieces being displayed on social media.
People also get to raise funds geared towards making their campaigns a success. On a personal level, you can do the following to contribute to the success of black futures and see to the conclusion of racism:
- Enlighten your peers on the importance of black lives
- Teach children, both black and white, that black lives matter and all lives matter.
- Write informative pieces and share them online; there is power in pen, and the internet never forgets. The future will find it there.
- Help in funding this movement.
Conclusion
The black lives matter is a movement that went viral from fighting an eroded criminal justice system. Five years later, it is a strong force both in legal and political issues. Many racists have lost their jobs thanks to the campaign. Hopefully, the black lives in the generations to come will to have to fight this same battle.
