BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT: A GLOBAL ANALYSIS

By Anurag Yadav

Abstract: This article is dealing with Black People’s movement and their life around the world. It discusses in detail the deterioration of Blacks since the period of colonisation to the contemporary world. It also deals with the problems faced by Black people and also the necessary reforms to raise their standard of life as Black People are also humans and should be treated equally without any discrimination on the basis of color especially in the United States of America.

INTRODUCTION: In 2013, three female Black organizers — Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi — created a Black-centered political will and movement building project called Black Lives Matter. Black Lives Matter began with a social media hashtag, #BlackLivesMatter, after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin back in 2012. The movement grew nationally in 2014 after the deaths of Michael Brown in Missouri and Eric Garner in New York. Since then it has established itself as a worldwide movement, particularly after the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis, MN. Most recently, #Black Lives Matter has spearheaded demonstrations worldwide protesting police brutality and systematic racism that overwhelmingly affects the Black community.^[1]

The movement engaged in 2013 or became a topic of concern but the deterioration of Blacks by white since the period of Colonisation. They were deprived of their rights for a long period of time and ill-treated by the white as whites considered themselves superior and blacks as inferior to them. Black lives matter is basically a social movement devoted to fighting against racism and anti-black violence especially Police brutality. The main motive of this movement is to improve the position of Blacks in European countries and the United States of America. Activists seek to combat Police brutality and aims to treat the blacks fairly just like the whites and also seek blacks’ participation in the governance system. Martin Luther King Jr. Says “I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” It means Martin Luther King Jr. also emphasized that people should be judged by their behavior, work, or activities rather than on the basis of their color of skin.

The Black Lives Matter Movement is fighting to end colorblind racism and the belief that race is no longer significant in today’s society. If race was truly insignificant and black lives mattered, there wouldn’t be racial disparities present in the criminal justice system and other societal factors (Smiley and Fakunle 2016). Race does matter and it needs to be discussed out in the open without the people being in fear of being labeled as a racist. Ignoring that racism is an ongoing problem only exacerbates the issue. The Black Lives Matter Movement is not ignoring colorblind racism. It is a social movement that is seeing race and admitting that it matters.^[2]

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

TRIANGULAR SLAVE TRADE: Triangular slave trade was referred to as the trade between three continents or regions that were Europe, Africa and America in 17th century. When most of the parts are the colony of European countries then the Europeans went to Africa and bought slaves (Black people) from chiefstman in exchange of goods gifted by Europeans. After then the slaves or black people were branded and packed into the ships for 3 months long voyage to America where they engaged in plantation of cash crops such as sugar, tea and coffee etc. And slaves or blacks were treated very badly by whites like they were beaten up by them and harsh punishment for trifling matters.
SOUTH AFRICA: Struggle Against Apartheid: Apartheid is a African word which means separateness. It was a system of racial segregation that governed in South Africa for nearly 50 years. It was a racial discrimination based on skin color i.e. White, Black and Colored. Africa was ruled by the whites which known as white minority rule. So the Government was in the hand of whites so the native black People’s rights were sidelined by brought 148 apartheid laws like all interracial marriages were banned, separate education system for blacks i.e. allowed to study for 13 years, no voting rights available for blacks, Transportation was very poor for blacks, Blacks can’t owned property, Blacks were forbidden to live near whites, Public places were separated for whites and blacks etc. Whites were discriminating against Blacks very badly and Blacks were not allowed to oppose the whites and This crumbled after Nelson Mandela became the President of South Africa in 1994.

MODERN CONTEXT

Blacks were not ill-treated during the phase of colonialization but still, their position is deteriorating and we often see many incidents of ill-treatment by whites. Some of the famous incidents which enrage the Black lives matter are as follows:

KILLING OF TRAYVON MARTIN: In 2012 George Zimmerian fatally shot down 17 year old African-American school student Trayvon Martin in Stanford, Florida who was walking back to the father’s fiancée’s house from a nearby convenience store. Zimmerman was injured during the altercation with Martin. He said he shot Martin in self-defence and was not charged at the time. The police said there was no evidence to refute his claim of self-defence, and Florida’s stand your ground law prohibited them from arresting or charging him. After national media focused on the incident, Zimmerman was eventually charged and tried, but a jury acquitted him of second-degree murder and manslaughter in July 2013.
DEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD: George Floyd, 46, was arrested in the city of Minneapolis on 25 May for allegedly using counterfeit money to buy a pack of cigarettes. He died after a white police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes, while he pleaded that he could not breathe. The officer, Derek Chauvin, 44, has been dismissed from the police department and charged with murder. Three other officers who were on the scene were also sacked and later charged with abetting the crime. Unrest has broken out across the country. Police have used tear gas and force against demonstrators and President Donald Trump has threatened to send in the military.^[3]

PROBLEMS FACED BY BLACKS:

POLICE BRUTALITY: Police brutality was the major problem faced by Blacks nowadays. Blacks was very harsh treated by Police official in comparison to Whites. African Americans are arrested for drug abuse at a much higher rate than white.
RACIAL DISCRIMINATION: It is still prevalent in countries like U.S.A. and U.K. as whites considered themselves as superior in comparison to Blacks. So they I’ll treated the Blacks.
LESS PARTICIPATION OF BLACKS IN GOVERNANCE SYSTEM: Blacks are very few in number while it is about the participation of Blacks in higher government post.

CONCLUSION AND SOLUTION

After a brief discussion on Black lives matter that how Black lives are deteriorating since the era of Colonisation nowadays. They are always ill-treated by whites like in the colonisation by making them their slaves and nowadays by giving harsh punishment to them in comparison to whites for very trifling crimes or sometimes on the basis of suspicion like we saw in case Trayvon Martin case and George Floyd case. The necessary step can bring to reform or improve the condition of Blacks by defunding of police funds i.e cutoff police funds and use them for social policies beneficial for blacks, by making laws to stop the police brutality against blacks and Government should also focus on increase the participation of Blacks in higher government positions. Overall Black people are also human beings just like whites so obviously, their life matters. In this world everyone’s life is priceless and no one should be discriminated against on the basis of skin color because physical appearances are God’s gift and not at the discretion of humans. So everyone is equal and no one is inferior whether they are whites, Blacks, colored, or whatever creed is. Now People should change their minds to judge the people on the basis of skin color rather than the people should be known by their manners, work and behavior and YES BLACK PEOPLE LIVES MATTER as their life is also priceless just like whites and they are not inferior to anyone

Tags: #Blacks #Whites #Blacklivesmatter #Europe #Africa #America #TrayvonMartin #GeorgeFloyd #Policebrutality #Racial discrimination

^[1] Available at: https://library.law.howard.edu/civilrightshistory/BLM (Last visited August 17 2021)

^[2] Siscoe, Tanika, “#BlackLivesMatter: This Generation’s Civil Rights Movement” (2016). University Honors Theses. Paper 237. https://doi.org/10.15760/honors.279 (Last visited August 17 2021)

^[3] Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52904593 (Last visited August 17 2021)

[4] Picture: BBC