Black Lives Matter (BLM)
Black Lives Matter (BLM) is the slogan of a global social movement (see the BlackLivesMatter website [https://blacklivesmatter.com/]) that opposes systemic racism and violence against ‘black’ people.
Its main goal is to raise awareness of racial injustices and the challenges faced by the ‘black’ community. The main focus is on incidents of racial profiling and police brutality. In addition, the BLM movement aims to promote equality, dignity and fair treatment for people of colour.
BLM originated in the US in 2013 as a response to the systemic racism, police brutality and unequal violence experienced by ‘black’ people, particularly within law enforcement and the criminal justice system.
Sources:
• Article “Black Lives Matter” on Britannica (checked in January 2024)
• Article “Black Lives Matter” on Wikipedia (checked in January 2024)
More:
• “Black Lives Matter explained: The history of a movement”, video feature by Channel 4 News, London, on YouTube (checked in January 2024)
Following the murder of ‘black’ US citizen George Floyd by ‘white’ police officer Derek Chauvin on 25 May 2020 in Minneapolis, the BLM movement spread to many countries around the world.
BLM protests against racism also took place in Namibia (click on tag “BLM Namibia”), raising awareness of injustices and wounds from the colonial past and emphasising the need to decolonise the public space. The demonstration also denounced police brutality, although it was not racially motivated.