Black Lives Matter
African Americans by vigilantes and especially law enforcement authorities across the country. This paper reviews relevant literature over the Black Lives Matter movement, and the positive/negative effects of the movement. I believe that this movement is very necessary and the fact that others think it isnt or that is an excuse to be violent are simply ignorant.
Some background information about The Black Lives Matter movement and how and why it was started; BLM was founded by Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi and Patrisse Cullors after Trayvon Martin was murdered by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch leader, who was not held accountable by the state of Florida based on his claim of self-defense. This then started the hashtag Black Lives Matter. In 2014, the movement gained even more attention after the fatal shooting of Micheal Brown by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. The movement started to spread in response to a number of deaths of African Americans at the hands of law enforcement authorities and vigilantes across America in the recent years. This movement brings awareness to police brutality, a real ongoing danger to people of color, and contributes directly to legal and judicial inequality. This movement is a very controversial topic because people either deeply believe in this movement or many people think that it’s not right and it should be All Lives Matterand not just Black Lives Matter, but a lot of the information is very misunderstood and very unclear. There are many pros and cons about this specific issue.
A huge pro about this movement is that it brings huge awareness to the big issues, dangers, and violence that has happened and that is still happening to this day. Unfortunately, racism is still a huge problem that sadly will never be 100% solved especially anytime soon. For this issue specifically, it is very important that people bring awareness to keep it relevant and to make a change. Big ways people bring awareness to this movement is by protesting all throughout the country. Recently a movie was released called The Hate U Give inspired by a real even, Amanda Stenberg’s life changed forever. When she was 16 she witnessed her childhood friend Aglee Smith killed by a police officer she then soon became an activist. A novel was also written by Angie Thomas called The Same Name which was influenced by a true incident of police brutality. Oscar Grant was 22 years old and unarmed, but was shot and killed in 2009 by an Oakland police officer. The more awareness brought to this movement the more of a chance things can change into a positive way. Racism goes back years and years from now and even though it has changed it hasn’t gone away.
Although racism has drastically changed from what it used to be it has not gone away, and it might be just as bad because it has spread. The Black Lives Matter movement just shows that there is still racism in the world and especially in America. Not everyone will be equal and im afraid it will never completely go away. From the article Four Facts Everyone Should Know About The Black Lives Matter Movement it says Black Lives Matter is a group whose goal is the prevention of police brutality and murder of black people. To put it simply, the movement wants equal treatment for people of color (4-facts-black-lives-matter-movement)
Another pro of the Black Lives Matter movement is that it unites many people of many races and gives African Americans something to fight for. Im hispanic so I definitely do not know what it is like to be African American and I don’t know what they go through so I couldn’t even imagine how hard it is to feel the way they do. There are many websites and clubs you can sign up for to join this movement and be apart to make a difference. You can be anybody to join it does not matter. This movement gives African Americans an opportunity to fight for what they believe in and to fight for their rights. Many people are biased towards African Americans and they have many stereotypes that make them look a certain way, Black Lives Matter is trying to change things and show people that color doesn’t matter and it is not right to be violent towards someone because of those stereotypes or the color of their skin.
Many people protest to make a difference, and they join the movement to make a difference in the community because everyone’s voice matters. No matter who you are if you speak on a topic you deeply believe in someone will listen to you and you will make a difference whether you changed that one persons life or you changed the world. As long as you’re passionate you can change anything. The Black Lives Matter movement allows people to do just that it is a very deep and important issue that people are very passionate about and many people involved do what they can to make a difference in the African American community.
Just like there are pros of this movement there are also cons. There is a lot of misunderstanding about this movement. Many people don’t understand that the movement is about acknowledging that all lives matter including black lives that have been unfairly treated and killed by police officers who faced nearly no consequences. A lot of people don’t know what the objectives of the Black Lives Matter movement is and what they are hoping to achieve. Because people aren’t actually researching the movement and they’re reacting to what they see on social media or the news. Many people are confused about what this movement is really about and it is turning negative. People believe that this movement is causing more violence and condoning it. In the article “What Are The Positives And Negatives Of The Black Lives Matter Movement it says People are saying that black people are ignoring the black on black crimes and projecting it onto the Black Lives Matter movement(What-are-the-positives-and-negatives-of-the-Black-Lives-Matter-movement) It is true that this movement has caused violence especially when protesting. People are getting so angry about the unequal treatment and the killings that they will do anything even break a law to get their goal achieved. Communication is very important because people are confused.
Many people feel alienated by the term Black Lives Matter because they believe that all lives matter and the movement is only focused on African Americans. All lives do matter, but this specific movement is about bringing awareness to violence towards black lives specifically and that is another reason about people misunderstanding what it’s really about, and the goal that is trying to be achieved. It is very important to communicate clearly what this movement is trying to achieve and fix. From the article Black Lives Matter is says Reynolds argues that while the civil rights movement valued all human lives, even those of people who worked against us, BLM focuses too narrowly on black pain and suffering, shouting down those who dare to utter all lives matter. She argued in order to win broader appeal [the BLM Movement] must work harder to acknowledge the humanity in the lives of others.(black-lives-matter)
Since this movement there has been many people that oppose the BML and add racist comments whether it be in person or online. This is one of the worst outcomes of bringing such inequality and violence to the surface no matter what people will have their opinions and say whatever they choose even if it is harsh and racist. In this article it states Yes, police brutality is in the news a lot, but what about other forms of racism? Those need to be addressed as well in order to change, and that is what Black Lives Matter wants.(4-facts-black-lives-matter-movement) Even though the goal is to end racism it seems like its only bringing it out more and more because people feel the need to comment on this movement because its so popular. A lot of people around America are looking at the negatives about this movement including condoning violence to achieve their goals.
Certain groups of the Black Lives Matter movement believe in violence to solve their problems whether that is violence against police authorities or angry protests. People against this movement also believe that African Americans are ignoring crimes caused by their own race. Since this movement started the percentage of police deaths and violent acts against them have increased majorly. In the article Black Lives Matter it says The FBI report found that 28% of those who used deadly force against police officers were motivated by hatred of police and a desire to kill law enforcement, in some cases fueled by social and political movements(black-lives-matter) Many people are concerned that BLM encourages anti-police violence. Since this movement people have been looking at police differently and don’t feel safe like they should.
This movement is trying to stop violence and stereotypes on black people, but its only starting violence and stereotypes against white policemen. People make it seem like all white policemen do not care about African Americans whether it be serving and protecting them or mistreating them and acting on violence. Many people have now become scared of just speaking or getting pulled over by police because they are afraid to be killed just because the color of their skin. Not only has it put pressure on African Americans to be around white policemen, but has also put plenty of pressure on the policemen as well. Policemen are now afraid that African Americans will be violent towards them because it is encouraged by many. This world has always been a scary place, but it is only becoming more terrifying to where policemen dont even make us feel safe anymore and they are the reason people are afraid for their lives and are even killed.
Many people of color especially African Americans expect negative interactions with policemen now. This movement is broadcasting police brutality making it seem like every white police officer will mistreat you if you are black. Im not condoning or even know the reason why many white policemen mistreat African Americans, but what I do know is that not every single white police officer in America are against African Americans and many care about every life in this world and do their jobs like they should, protecting and serving this country.
The Black Lives Matter movement was created to make a difference and to show everyone that every single person on this planet matters including African Americans. Unfortunately it has changed and many people that have joined this movement took this issue into their own hands and believe that violence is the key. Although everyone has the right to fight for what they believe in and to make a difference in this world violence should never be the answer to any problem and many groups involved in this movement condone it and think differently. In this paper I reviewed relevant literature over this movement, and the positive/negative effects it has and continues to have, I do believe that this movement is very necessary and it is not right that people think or us violence as an excuse.
Please write an 8 page research paper based on the pro/con paper attached below. Need it in 12 hours.
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