This article was written by Ashna Uprety of Richard Montgomery High School
Introduction
The Black Lives Matter movement started in July of 2013 when a young, unarmed Black American named Trayvon Martin was shot and killed. Though, this was not the first instance of a Black American being killed for the color of their skin. The man responsible for the murder, George Zimmerman, was found innocent and all charges were dropped.
A countrywide outrage was sparked and so the movement began. First as a hashtag on social media, and then to the streets where people of all backgrounds came together in the face of injustice. In the spring of 2020, protests began to re-emerge after several instances of police brutality started to receive attention. The movement was about dismantling white supremacy and ending persecution on Black communities.
The Facts
Racism can be shown through the numbers. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, “When police initiated the contact, Blacks (5.2%) and Hispanics (5.1%) were more likely to experience the threat or use of physical force than whites (2.4%).” Additionally, the Sentencing Project stated that state prisons around the country incarcerate African Americans at over five times the rate of whites. In 2016, the Guardian estimated that around seven per million Black people were killed at the hands of police officers compared to around 3 per million whites. Keep in mind that about 76 percent of Americans are white and about 13 percent are Black. Furthermore, the Stanford Open Policing Project reported that Black drivers are more likely to be stopped by police officers than white drivers. The data from the article also showed that after being stopped, Black drivers are searched at higher rates than their white counterparts.
Protests
All over the nation, protests have taken place to demand justice for the wrongful deaths of unarmed Black Americans. According to the New York Times, June 6 was the utmost peak of protesting; around 500,000 people protested around the country. Time stated that 93 percent of Black Lives Matter protests occurred peacefully, refuting the claim that most protests are disruptive. The current pandemic should be taken into account, but Business Insider did a study that showed Black Lives Matter protests did not cause coronavirus outbreaks. After three weeks of protesting, the data reported that coronavirus cases did not, in fact, increase despite the large crowds. Cities where large numbers of protests have taken place such as New York and Chicago showed that coronavirus cases were actually declining.
The Police
Police brutality against Black Americans is receiving attention that was long overdue. Black Lives Matter is not just about police brutality, but this is a topic that needs immediate change. It is unjust and morally wrong that there are Black people who fear the law enforcement because of the color of their skin.
According to the New York Times, a hundred cities in the U.S. have had police use teargas on protesters. But, as it was stated earlier in this article, the majority of Black Lives Matter protests were peaceful. The excessive use of force by police officers has been tolerated for far too long.
The “Back the Blue” movement has sprung up in response to Black Lives Matter. The movement is about supporting police officers, but police officers have never been oppressed in the first place. One’s occupation is a choice, but one’s skin color is not.
Understanding Black Lives Matter is simple. It is not saying only Black lives matter, it is just saying Black lives matter too. Racists ideologies do not come out of nowhere, they are taught and continued through generations. The cycle will not stop unless we act upon it. It is not enough to be non-racist, one must be anti-racist. Ways to contribute include signing petitions, supporting Black-owned businesses, and attending protests. Do not think you cannot make a change. Black Lives Matter today, tomorrow, and every day after that.
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