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Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi founded #BlackLivesMatter in order to spark nationwide conversation over the undervalued black lives that the social justice system seemed to brush to the side.

Garza stated, “When we began, #BlackLivesMatter was a series of social media platforms that connected people online to take action offline.”

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Having diversity, racially and ethnically, in a movement like Black Lives Matter shows hope for racial equity in the United States.

“Racial Equity is the belief that individuals, regardless of their racial characteristics, are morally, poltically, and legally equal and should be treated as such.”

Check out this pie chart to see the diversity in recent BLM protests in the US

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From the beginning, the BLM movement has been about fighting for the voices of all black people including the LGBTQ. Not only is it hard to be part of the black community, but adding the LGBTQ to the equation as well makes them more of a target. As Jonovia Chase, a co-lead organizer of House Lives Matter states, “We are a prime target because of our Blackness, and our intersectionality of being trans adds an extra target on our backs.”

#forallblacklives

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Out of the three founders of #BlackLivesMatter, two of the women identify as queer, Patrisse Cullor being one of the two.

Patrisse Cullors identifies as a Queer person. Her current partner is Janaya Khan, a Canadian activist and co-founder of Black Lives Matter Toronto.

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Co-founder Alicia Garza identifies as queer as well. She is married to Malachi Garza, a transgender man and a community activist.

#blacklove #lgbtq

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Watch this short video to get an inside look on the need for the #blm movement. The reality of racism through the eyes of Alicia Garza.

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The Power of Viral Messaging with Alicia Garza

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BLM believes all people, no matter the age have the capability to share and create change

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BLM believes all people, no matter the age have the capability to share and create change

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Generational ties of racial awareness are a prominent theme throughout Invisible Man.The narrators grandfather, on his deathbed, tells the narrator, “ Son, after I’m gone I want you to keep up the good fight. I never told you, but our life is a war and I have been a traitor all my born days”(Ellison 16). The grandfather wanted the narrator to succeed where he failed in fighting for racial equality. This scene clearly depicted BLM’s principle of intergenerational change.

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Breonna Taylor, a black female whose life was dehumanized by police. Breonna Taylor is one of the many black individuals driving the fight for black indiviuals who have lost their lives due to police brutality against blacks.

“I am completely mortified that our criminal justice system has failed Breonna Taylor, her family and friends, and frankly, it has failed our country. We will not give up in this movement. We are going to continue the work that we have started in the name of Breonna Taylor and countless Black lives cut short at the hands of police brutality, systemic racism, and white supremacy. We owe it to each of them to ensure equality and justice for all Black lives becomes our reality.”
-Patrisse Cullors

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“These movements aren’t about anger. We’re not angrily saying ‘Black Lives Matter.’ We’re declaring it. It’s a declaration. We want to be seen as robust, full human beings that have anger and have joy. We want to be able to just freely have that joy. Like everybody else does.”

-Tarana Burke Founder of the #MeToo Movement

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The narrator hopes to find a socially significant spot in society through the brotherhood in Harlem. While describing the Men’s house, Miss Mary says how “It’s you young folks [The Brotherhood] what’s going to make changes,” (Ellison 255). Through a connection of many black individuals the brotherhood of the Men’s house did see some social change however much of it was counteracted by individual ambition. This scenario perfectly illustrates BLM’s principle that black communities much join together and see the greater picture.

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“I have no problem with white people being out in the streets demonstrating alongside black folks and other people of color so long as they are taking their cues from others and not driving the action,” states Simon Balto, a history and African American studies professor at the University of Iowa. “I actually think such displays of solidarity are good when offered genuinely.”

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Watch this short video to get a comedic guide to effective activism rather than “symbolic gestures” in how white people can provide true support in the #blm movement.

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A Guide for White People Supporting Black Lives Matter | The Daily Social Distancing Show

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What does it mean to be “Unapologetically black”?

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What does it mean to be “Unapologetically black”?

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Black invdivuals should not have to conform themselves to white ideals of being a black individual

Nor should they have to conform to the normalities of white culture

Read more at the link below to see what it means to be “unapologetically black”

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Beyoncé and Lamar show what it means to be ‘unapologetically black’ | CNN

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Beyoncé rocked Coachella and Kendrick Lamar grabbed a Pulitzer. But they also gave us a lesson on being “unapologetically black.”

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The converstion black children are often given by their parents dicussing the realities of growing up as a black individual in today’s society.

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Dear Child - When Black Parents Have To Give "The Talk"

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WHY WE MADE DEAR CHILD: Jubilee Project is a digital media company that tells stories to explore our humanity. It has been heartbreaking and infuriating to witness the senseless and unjust killings of black men in the United States. And we'd like to play our part in addressing this epidemic through the creation of "Dear Child."

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“Everybody is important, and has the right to be safe and happy”

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“Everybody is important, and has the right to be safe and happy”

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Black Lives Matter Mission~ according to the offical Black Lives Matter website

“We are expansive. We are a collective of liberators who believe in an inclusive and spacious movement. We also believe that in order to win and bring as many people with us along the way, we must move beyond the narrow nationalism that is all too prevalent in Black communities. We must ensure we are building a movement that brings all of us to the front.”

“We affirm the lives of Black queer and trans folks, disabled folks, undocumented folks, folks with records, women, and all Black lives along the gender spectrum. Our network centers those who have been marginalized within Black liberation movements.”

“We are working for a world where Black lives are no longer systematically targeted for demise.”

“We affirm our humanity, our contributions to this society, and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression.”

“The call for Black lives to matter is a rallying cry for ALL Black lives striving for liberation.”

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In New York City, thousands of people gathered around the Brooklyn Museum to demand fair treatment for black trans people.

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Tony is a transgender man who was shot and killed by police in Tallahassee, Florida.

"The Human Rights Campaign and the entire transgender and non-binary community demand accountability and answers for Tony's death -- and countless violent deaths of trans people, black people and, disproportionately, black transgender people," said Tori Cooper, HRC director of community engagement for the Transgender Justice Initiative.  "Black people, LGBTQ people, and especially all LGBTQ people of color are at greater risk for violence every day in this country. This must end."

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Many black family have lost their loved ones due to racial injustices. Here’s a list of names that tragically lost their lives which fuel the efforts of the Black Lives Matter Movement.

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BLM Was Always A Global Designed to Be a Global Movement 

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BLM Was Always A Global Designed to Be a Global Movement 

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After George Floyd’s death, activists from more than 60 countries took to the streets to inform their respective governments and insitutions of the systemic racism cirrculating around the globe.

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Reports show that 93% of Black Lives Matter Protests have been peaceful following the death of George Floyd.

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#BlackLoveLetters

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We asked Black parents to write love letters to their children. Here's what they had to say. Join us in writing and mailing Black love letters to your loved ones this gathering season.

Write Black Love Letters is a creative intervention encouraging us all to FUND the USPS by buying stamps and sending Black love letters and postcards. We are centering love, connection, and beauty in a time of isolation, tension, and change. We are celebrating our historic contributions to the USPS and demanding that our legacy be protected.

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Treat People the Way You Would Want to be Treated

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Treat People the Way You Would Want to be Treated

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Check out this graph to see how black individuals are treated in different scenarios compared to white individuals.

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As a white individual, check this link out to better understand how to be an ally to a black individual.

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The first six months of 2020 have brought about overwhelming levels of pain, fear and exhaustion to the black community.

In addition to experiencing disproportionately high levels of death from Covid-19, black Americans are continuing to deal with traumatizing acts of racism and injustice across the country. In the past few months, there have been protests and demands for Ahmaud Arbery,a 25-year-old unarmed black man who was killed in a Georgia neighborhood by two armed white residents; Breonna Taylor, an unarmed 26-year-old African-American emergency technician who was killed in her Kentucky home by police; and George Floyd, an unarmed 46-year-old black man who died while a Minnesota police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

People across the country expressed outrage and demanded accountability when birdwatcher Christian Cooper, a black man, was falsely accused of threatening a white woman's life when she called the police on him because he asked her to leash her dog in Central Park. Though these incidents have made national headlines within the past few months thanks to social media, they are nothing new. Black people have been fighting for decades to get justice from an unjust system and quite frankly, the emotional and mental toll is exhausting.

As we deal with ongoing acts of racism amid a global pandemic, conversations around allyship have come to the forefront as it will take people of all races and backgrounds to stand in support of marginalized groups who are continuously shortchanged by justice. Here are five ways in which white people and non-black people of color can stand in support of the black community now and moving forward.

Understanding your privilege as a white person is critical to understanding how race and racism can impact the trajectory of one person's life.

Frances Kendall, author of " Understanding White Privilege: Creating Pathways to Authentic Relationships Across Race," describes white privilege as "having greater access to power and resources than people of color [in the same situation] do."

As a result of this unequal access to power and resources, black Americans can expect to earn up to $1 million less than white Americans over their lifetime, according to a recent study by McKinsey & Co. That same study also found that in 2016 the median wealth of a white family was 10 times the median wealth of a black family.

This racial wealth gap is linked to years of discrimination in housing, education, employment and the criminal justice system.When looking at housing, for example, data from the Urban Institute finds that real estate agents and rental housing providers recommend and show fewer homes and apartments to minorities than equally qualified whites.

When looking at the criminal justice system, data from the United States Sentencing Commission reports that black men who commit the same crime as white men are given prison sentences that are, on average, 20% longer. When examining the dynamics of police interactions, black people are more likely to be stopped by police at a traffic stop and street stop than white people, and police are twice as likely to threaten or use force against a black or Hispanic person than a white person, according to data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

In Robin DiAngelo's book, " White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism," she explains how it is critical for white people to have uncomfortable conversations about race so that they can recognize their privilege and understand how they benefit from "a society that is deeply separate and unequal."

With white people sitting at the majority of America's leadership tables, DiAngelo writes that it's imperative for them to understand how racism works because the "decisions made at those tables affect the lives of those not at the tables."

"Exclusion by those at the table doesn't depend on willful intent; we don't have to intend to exclude for the results of our actions to be exclusion," she explains. "While implicit bias is always at play because all humans have bias, inequity can simply occur through homogeneity; if I am not aware of the barriers you face, then I won't see them, much less be motivated to remove them."

The real work of allyship comes in the form of educating yourself on the things you need to personally learn and unlearn in order to be a better advocate.

In addition to Kendall and DiAngelo's books listed above, there are several other great pieces of literature that unpack systemic racism and white privilege including " How to be an Antiracist" by Ibram X. Kendi; " Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates; and " Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor" by Layla Saad.

In addition to these books, the National Museum of African American History & Culture just released a new online portal called " Talking About Race." This portal, according to a press release, is "designed to help individuals, families and communities talk about racism, racial identity and the way these forces shape every aspect of society." The portal includes online exercises, scholarly articles and more than 100 multimedia resources for individuals who are committed to racial equality.

During times like this when the news is filled with heavy headlines about black death, violence and protests, checking in with your black colleagues just to show that you care and are aware of what's going on can make a difference.

"I think the most important part for our non-black employees, colleagues and leaders to do is to just say something," career and leadership coach Kimberly Cummings tells CNBC Make It. "There's this pressure right now to say the right thing, but honestly, there is not necessarily a right thing to say because everyone is processing the situation differently."

Cummings says that a simple check-in to say, "I know you could potentially be going through a really hard time right now so if you need to take a day then take a day," could really help. And she says leaders who are managing teams should reach out to all staff members, not just black employees, to show that they are aware of what's going on and they have resources available for those in need.

"I think the silence is what's deafening, and I think it's what hurts the most in corporate America," she says, while emphasizing that employees are watching what leaders are and aren't speaking up about.

Beyond addressing what's happening in the news, it's important that non-black colleagues and leaders are vocal when they witness instances of bias, racism and injustice in their immediate workplace and community.

For example, Cummings says, if you're on a Zoom call at work where an insensitive comment is made or if you're in an environment where the work of a black colleague is constantly overlooked, then you should not turn a blind eye to the situation.

"I think addressing it is the most important issue," she says. "As we're talking about everything that's happening in the world right now, the common denominator is that there are issues that need to be addressed and spoken about openly and candidly and that also applies to the workplace."

She emphasizes that now is not the time to sweep things under the rug and act like they aren't happening. In fact, she says, the role of an ally is really about "speaking up when another group may not be able to."

"I think in times like this, where everything is so tense, there is a heightened focus on the experience of a black person in work, outside of work and everything in their daily life," she says. "So as an ally, if you see something and it makes you feel uncomfortable and you notice that it's making your minority colleagues feel uncomfortable, then it is crucial for you to speak up and talk about how this behavior, this conversation, this action is inappropriate."

Doing this, she says, "is where change is going to happen because silence is literally showing folks that what is happening is OK, it's tolerated and it's acceptable."

Speaking out against issues of racism and injustice can easily fall on deaf ears if you're leading a company that does not prioritize hiring, promoting and supporting black workers.

In a report released last year from the Center for Talent Innovation titled " Being Black in Corporate America," it was stated that roughly one in three black professionals aspire to hold executive positions at work and nearly two in three consider themselves to be "very ambitious" toward their career. Yet, despite this ambition, black professionals today hold just 3.2% of executive and senior management positions in corporate America and less than 1% of Fortune 500 CEO spots. Of the four black CEOs leading a Fortune 500 company today, none of them are women.

"It's embarrassing because there are thousands of [black] people who are just as qualified or more qualified than I am who deserve the opportunity, but haven't been given the opportunity," Kenneth Chenault, former chairman and CEO of American Express, said in the report.

In a study released by researchers at Northwestern University, Harvard, and the Institute for Social Research in Norway, it was discovered that anti-black racism is still an issuein the hiring process today with white applicants receiving 36% more callbacks for jobs than equally qualifying African Americans.

Kenneth Frazier, who serves as the CEO of pharmaceutical company Merck, is one of Fortune 500's few black CEOs. In an interview on CNBC's " Squawk Box," Frazier spoke openly about these inequalities and explained how George Floyd's death personally impacts him as a black man. As a leader in corporate America, he called on allbusiness leaders to step in and be a "unifying force" in creating opportunities and jobs for diverse professionals.

"I know for sure that what put my life on a different trajectory was that someone intervened to give me an opportunity, to close that opportunity gap," he said. "And that opportunity gap is still there."
Check out: Don't miss: Racial health disparities already existed in America- the coronavirus just exacerbated them The best credit cards of 2020 could earn you over $1,000 in 5 years

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5 ways to start being a better ally for your black coworkers

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The first six months of 2020 have brought about overwhelming levels of pain, fear and exhaustion to the black community. In addition to experiencing disproportionately high levels of death from Covid-19, black Americans are continuing to deal with traumatizing acts of racism and injustice across the country.

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Stop- Apologising for being racist in the past
Start- Doing better

Jessica Morgan, an award-winning journalist tells her story about being apologized to 13 years after the racist incident. She said that she got a message from and old school friend who wanted to apologize for her racist behavior back from 13 years ago. The friend wrote how she remembered that she made fun of Morgan’s hair and she, “wanted to say sorry for that” and that it “weighs on her mind.” Morgan didn’t respond to the message because she was confused and setback. Why had the old friend decided to apologize 13 years later?!

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Understanding BLM as a white individual 

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Understanding BLM as a white individual 

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Robin DiAngelo’s novel, White Fragility explores the common defensive reaction of white individuals when the unequal society that they participate in is even named.

DiAngelo says, “For those of us who work to raise the racial consciousness of whites, simply getting whites to acknowledge that our race gives us an advantages is a major effort. The defensiveness, denial and resistance are deep” (DiAngelo 26).

For example, (as a white person) saying that “I don’t see race” is more so destructive because it denies black realities and culture.

Another common defense of white individuals is to shift blame to areas where they may be discriminated against (sexism, homophobia, transphobia) and away from the initial race issue.

In conclusion white individuals should work to be allies by educating themselves on racism, being “anti-racist”, and being aware of roles they could play in racism.

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The following video by the National Museum of African American History and culture provides great insight into how you can be “Antiracist” with references to Ibram X. Kendi’s novel, “How to be an Antiracist”.

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How To Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

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The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart

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The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart

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Alicia Garza book, The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart, shares how the movement sparked and her early life that lead her to start #BlackLivesMatter. As she says in the introduction of her book, “Movements are the story of how we come together when we’ve come apart” (Garza iii).

The need for the #blm movement was in high demand following the tragic death of black individuals such as Trayvon Martin, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and so many more. It needed to be recognized that the was a racial gap and injustice between black individuals and white individuals. Therefore, Alicia Garza and her two friends sparked a hashtag all over social media hoping to promote change offline through peaceful protests with the goal of fighting for racial equity.

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Women NEED to be involved in order to see change

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Women NEED to be involved in order to see change

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One feature that many social movements previous to that of BLM lacked was representation for females. Although they were working for “equality” they neglected women’s rights.
As the women from the ceremony says, “And there’s another important aspect, one which concerns me greatly. It provides women the full opportunity for self-expression, which is so very important, Brother. It’s as though every day were Leap Year—which is as it should be. Women should be absolutely as free as men” (Ellison 414).

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On page 379 of the text the narrator says, “I am what they think I am”(Ellison).
This statement referenced the assumptions we make about each other based off of initial presentation, especially that of skin color. The narrator understands by the end of the novel that his diversity in skin color, nor others opinions of him decide his value and only he can find that for himself.

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Victims Should not be the one Apologizing 

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Victims Should not be the one Apologizing 

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Once the narrator is chased into the underground cellar he comes to the realization that he was making accommodations for others when he was the victims of their actions.

He says, “But here was the rub: Too often, in order to justify them, I had to take myself by the throat and choke myself until my eyes bulged and my younger hung out and wagged like the door of an empty house in a high wind” (Ellison 573)

Perpetrators of racism need to be held accountable for their actions, not accommodated to.