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What is the Black Lives Matter Movement?

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What is the Black Lives Matter Movement?

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Goals and Focuses of the 2020 Black Lives Matter Movement.

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BLM's #WhatMatters2020 aims to vigorously engage underrepresented communities in the electoral process, educate the Black community about candidates and the issues that impact Black voters most, promote voter registration among Millennials, Generation Z, the Black community, and allies, and combat the increased threats of disinformation during this election cycle affecting BLM constituents and the public at large.

Campaign Goals

1.
Vigorously engage our communities in the electoral process:

Millions of Black Americans are repressed within the democratic process, yet data shows Black voters tipped the balance in the 2018 midterm elections. Moving towards 2020, we seek to increase the power of our voices and votes.

2.
Educate our constituents about candidates and the issues that impact us most:

We will amplify and do a deep dive into the issues that affect our communities most and hold our candidates accountable on these issues.

3.
Promote voter registration among Generation Z, the Black community, and our allies:

Demographic shifts means that in the 2020 election, non-whites will account for a third of voters and one in ten voters will be members of Generation Z. We will encourage and provide resources for those seeking to vote.

Campaign Focus

BLM's #WhatMatters2020 will focus on the following issues:

Racial Injustice

Police Brutality

Criminal Justice Reform

Black Immigration

Economic Injustice

LGBTQIA+ and Human Rights

Environmental Conditions

Voting Rights & Suppression

Healthcare

Government Corruption

Education

Commonsense Gun Laws

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BLM's #WhatMatters2020 Goals and Focus - Black Lives Matter

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BLM's #WhatMatters2020 aims to vigorously engage underrepresented communities in the electoral process, educate the Black community about candidates and the issues that impact Black voters most, promote voter registration among Millennials, Generation Z, the Black community, and allies, and combat the increased threats of disinformation during this election cycle affecting BLM constituents and the public at large.

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Choose 2 to read and respond too.

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In the past week, tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets to demand justice for George Floyd, the 46-year-old black man killed in Minneapolis on 25 May, after white police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds.

Powerful photographs show demonstrators gathering en masse in cities around the world, including in the US, UK, France, Italy and Germany. In America, protesters have been breaking curfews in order to call for an end to police brutality and global systemic racism, with banners held aloft including simple demands such as "Stop Killing Black Men" and "I Can't Breathe" - the latter being the final words uttered by Floyd as he was pinned to the ground by police. The names of Floyd and other unarmed black people killed in the US in recent years, including Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner and Trayvon Martin have also been chanted by protesters.

While the demonstrations have mostly been peaceful, some have descended into violence with police using tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets. Here, we speak to 10 black photojournalists about documenting the protests that have risen up across the US.

Washington DC

"While documenting the protest you can feel that everyone is tired of black people being treated as if we are not humans. It was a moment of solidarity. As a black woman, it was tough to photograph this experience but I knew it had to be done. My role in this movement is to document these times and to clarify misconceptions placed on the misunderstood, which in this case are 'black people'." Dee Dwyer

Los Angeles

"Black women have historically played critical roles in protest movements because racism and police brutality directly affects us. Not only are we being killed, but we are losing our fathers, our brothers, our husbands and our sons. This photo was taken at the Black Lives Matter protest in Los Angeles. BLM was founded by three black women, Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi." Stephanie Mei-Ling

Atlanta, Georgia

"Walking with everyone during the protest was an act of solidarity, though people were visibly unnerved by the inexplicable acts committed by police all over the country. The palpable thump in everyone's pace was unimaginative, yet peace was our main goal. George Floyd's death, along with the killing of Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and Ahmaud Arbery, was the last straw as we experience a pandemic that is also affecting my community in disproportionate numbers. The fervour shown throughout the evening gave more hope, and a moment of clarity for those who wonder why black folks are continuously fighting for equality and a day we don't have to literally fight for our lives." Lynsey Weatherspoon

New York

"This protest was unlike any I've attended before. You could see the pain and anger in everyone's eyes, their emotions radiated from their faces despite the masks." Mark Clennon

New York

"In life, we often have times where it's imperative that we choose a side and be resolute in our decision. That choice is not always easy, safe or comfortable. Truth and justice rarely are. Truth and justice though is a cause always worth fighting for. To see a man on crutches marching, to me, was so impactful. It truly takes all excuses away from anyone able-bodied that believes in this cause to not physically be a part of it." JD Barnes

St Louis, Missouri

"I use my lens to capture black life in ways that challenge the status quo and dismantle false notions of propriety in the face of cruelty and injustice. At the same time, our story is also one of resilience, virtue and beauty, too. To be a part of this historic moment, on the frontlines, seeing race, politics, culture and economics collide with a global pandemic. This is a surreal moment to be alive and as a black woman documentary photographer, there's nowhere else I'd rather be than on the frontlines." Vanessa Charlot

New York

"I witnessed a peaceful protest that encompassed people of all races fighting for justice for George Floyd. It was a powerful exhibit of humanity." Kay Hickman

New York

"What a time we're in right now. George Floyd's death was the last straw that ignited the rage that we as a people have had for hundreds of years. Black people have had enough. From Minneapolis to New York to LA to Atlanta and other states, the fire burns as the youth and the elders express themselves by any means and demand that this country changes. More and more, we are going to have real conversations about the issues of systemic white supremacy in this country and world and those in power will be held accountable." Anthony B Geathers

Baltimore, Maryland

"My experience in documenting the protests here in Washington DC and Baltimore has been one of a messenger or conveyor of the injustices that my African-American brothers and sisters have had to endure for over 400 years while being here in the US. The camera has been my 'megaphone' if you will, showing how strong and resilient our people are, but also exposing to the world through these protests that egregious acts will no longer be tolerated in our communities. The people of our country are voicing their frustrations and hurt through these protests to demand justice and perhaps maybe now the world is finally listening which will invoke the change that we have been longing for in America." Tony Mobley

Los Angeles

"I made it home at exactly 7.57pm, three minutes before the 8pm curfew, and as I sat in my car shaking, I realised I was not OK. The cruelty I witnessed by the police on Fairfax and 3rd will stay with me forever. You have all seen the videos. The gassing. The rubber bullets. The beatings and mass arrests. Even though the rage and sorrow still linger, the love I have for every black person who has marched, protested, and organised past and present is what's keeping me together." Alexis Hunley
More from British Vogue:

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10 Black Photojournalists Give Personal Accounts From The US Protests

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Since the death of George Floyd on 25 May, tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets across the world to demand justice and call for an end to systemic racism. We speak to 10 black photographers who have been covering the demonstrations.

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Personal Accounts of Civil Rights Movement 

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Personal Accounts of Civil Rights Movement 

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Choose 2 to read and respond too.

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Personal Accounts From March on Washington 1963

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Personal Accounts From March on Washington 1963

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A long walk to freedom may be the name of Nelson Mandela's epic journey to a more racially unified country, but the title is equally fitting for the 13 members of the Brooklyn chapter of the Congress Of Racial Equality (CORE) who literally marched to Washington in the summer of 1963.

Among them, Lawrence Cumberbatch, my uncle, who at age 16 was the youngest member of the group.

Their route, from Brooklyn, New York, to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, right behind Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as he gave his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech, is one I've heard recounted over many family dinners. And like the wine that's often accompanied it, the story has only gotten better with age.

This week it turns 50, along with the speeches and the memories of the nearly 250,000 March On Washington attendees who also witnessed it firsthand.

Here, Lawrence Cumberbatch revisits his unforgettable campaign once again, poring over newspaper clippings and the handwritten notes he compiled over the 13-day, 240-mile trek.
I was 16 in the summer of 1963 and I started going to the Brooklyn CORE office on Nostrand Ave., down by Lexington. They were having demonstrations about jobs.
I had worked before, for the Board of Education as a helper for the programs that they ran in the summer. I did that for one or two summers, but prior to that, I was just a kid, so I stayed home and went out in the street and played like everybody else.
In the summer of '63, Brooklyn CORE was picketing the construction jobs for Downstate Hospital on Lenox Road in Brooklyn, because the State University (who ran the hospital) were building a dormitory for medical students and we weren't getting any of the construction work. I'd go down to the picket line every day, spend four to five hours and then head back to the CORE office where we would discuss what we were going to do the next day and on [different issues]. Before the season ended, Brooklyn CORE decided to go to the March on Washington by walking.
We were the only ones that walked.
If you look at the newspapers at that time, there were two different issues prompting people to go to Washington. We were interested in jobs, that's what our focus was, it was not about "we're going to all be friends." It was about people getting a fair shake. That's what guided us.
We left at 5:30 a.m. on Thursday, August 15 from Downstate, where we'd spent a whole summer picketing.

CORE members swing down Fort Hamilton Parkway in Brooklyn, toward the 69th St. ferry on trek to Washington. Lawrence Cumberbatch is seen five people back wearing a red-and-white hat. Photo: Library of Congress
The group decided that we'd need a scout car to find places for us to sleep at night. Because we weren't staying in any motels or hotels, we would actually camp out. We had a car that would go along the route each day and tell us where we could put up our tents for the night.
The Friday after we left, someone stopped on the side of the road and gave us a $20 contribution to help with our campsite.
One night, we found a spot to camp, but it was pitch black and we had a really hard time getting the tent stakes into the ground. We ditched the tents and spent the night with only our sleeping bags, only to wake up in the morning and realize that we'd camped out in the parking lot of a supermarket!
We had problems with which state and federal highways we could use. We couldn't walk on the turnpike or any of the interstate facilities, so we had to find another route. We ended up taking the local roads, Route 1, which was there for half a century before any of this took place, so it wasn't a part of the interstate system at that point.
When we got to Delaware, we were met at the state line, because it was broadcast ahead of time where we were going. The state troopers met us and told us that we would not be allowed to stop and sleep or camp anywhere in Delaware. We had to walk through the state in one day. It was 30 miles or so that we were escorted by the state police until we left the jurisdiction of Delaware.
We basically lived off of packaged cookies that you get out of machines and stores along the route. Whatever funds were involved came out of Brooklyn CORE for gas for the cars; otherwise, there was no other money involved except what each of us had in our pockets.
Very few people honked at us. There were people who would drive by and call us niggers, but that was far and few between. Most of the time, people would wave at us, because we wore sweatshirts that had "Brooklyn CORE March to Washington" on it, so people knew what we were doing. One or two times, people would skirt toward the highway as if they were going to run us over. But other than that, we had people who would come up and offer us money or food or go to the store for us. The public treated us okay; there was no real problem. A lot of people would wave at us and tell us good luck. Overall, it was a good, uneventful trip in terms of the walking.

Daily journal entries document the route Brooklyn CORE members took from New York to Washington, D.C.
We arrived in Washington on the evening of August 27th. CORE had contacted people in the Maryland branch and they made arrangements for us to stay in homes of members from that area.
The next morning, we were all gathered by two or three cars and taken to go the National Mall. We walked in from the border of the Washington Memorial as a group and everyone was taking pictures of us. We were staged to come in and walk up to the podium and be up there with King and everybody else, and that's what we did. We were right behind King, Farmer and everybody else.
The only way I could explain the experience is that once we gathered from the different homes where we'd spent the night, we walked through the throngs of people, we were escorted up to the podium, and that's when it struck. You could see nothing but this landscape of people, nothing but people. It was really incredible. We were giddy. I can remember it.
It was really a once-in-a-lifetime routine.

Local news outlets followed the 13 walkers' every move.

But there was no good result because of the March on Washington. Everyone went home feeling great, it was great to be together, to see that we could rally so many people for this one instance, but the bottom line was things continued on the issue of employment. They continued just as they were.
In 1964 Brooklyn CORE decided they were going to get into their cars and block the access to the World's Fair in Queens as a method of bringing to the conscious of other people that we needed jobs and that we weren't getting our fair share of the construction that arose. The year after the march, we were still talking about jobs! We came back to Brooklyn and what we had done in '63, we were still doing it in '64 and '65.
In college, I majored in sociology because of my experience with Brooklyn CORE and because of what was happening nationally in terms of jobs and desegregation. But I decided that instead of being a social worker, instead of simply playing along I would become a lawyer, to make change. As a lawyer I could do more changing circumstances than I could as a social worker in a closed system.

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march on washington for jobs and freedom

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From New York To D.C.: One Man Remembers Marching To Washington

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A long walk to freedom may be the name of Nelson Mandela's epic journey to a more racially unified country, but the title is equally fitting for the 13 members of the Brooklyn chapter of the Congress Of Racial Equality (CORE) who literally marched to Washington in the summer of 1963.

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