The Misconceptions Of The Black Lives Matter Movement

The New York Times defines the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement as an international activist movement, originating in the African-American community, that campaigns against violence and systemic racism toward black people. The Black Lives Matter movement was started in 2012 by three women, Opal Tometi, Alicia Garza, and Patrisse Cullors. It began after George Zimmerman was acquitted for the murder of Trayvon Martin and a deceased Trayvon Martin was tried for the crime he committed. After this injustice the #BlackLivesMatter slogan began and the BLM movement skyrocketed. Further African American injustices such as the killings of Michael Brown, Freddie Gray, and Eric Gardner prompted the movement to grow vigorously. The Black Lives Matter movement

One misconception of this movement is that it is a movement that says Black lives matter more than others. While this is not true, a large amount of people strongly agree with that statement. However, most of the people that disagree with this movement disagree because they are color-blind to the racism in the society. In actuality, according to Blacklivesmatter.com, “#BlackLivesMatter is a call to action and a response to the virulent anti-Black racism that permeates our society. Black Lives Matter is a unique contribution that goes beyond extrajudicial killings of Black people by police and vigilantes.” The BLM movement is not just about the killings of Black people it is about all the injustices all African Americans face. For example, when an African American walks through a parking lot there is an immediate reaction to make sure the car is locked because unconsciously people view African Americans as dangerous and scary. When a white person walks through a parking lot there is not the same reaction as there is for an African American. The BLM movement wants to eradicate the subtle color-blind racism as well as the blatant racism that is being displayed in the media. Another large misconception of the Black Lives Matter is that the people that are a part of the BLM movement do not care or consider black-on-black crime. The people that are a part of the BLM movement realize that there is a crime problem among black people; however, they do not believe that Black people are more violent than other races. The BLM movement says that because African Americans are in poorer communities compared to white people they are more susceptible to be targeted by police and arrested more often than