Scholars have long known that protests can lead to changes in public discourse and political agendas. However, the rise of Black Lives Matter (BLM) and the emergence of an anti-racist culture in the 2010s raised new questions about the link between activism and change in speech. In the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, we’ve seen the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter. A powerful new way to use social media beyond symbolic “lazyism” and a coalition that mobilizes people. Social and cultural changes. As police violence continues and the racial justice movement continues, the viral hashtag #BlackLivesMatter has become an integral part of the online discourse.
Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a decentralized social and political movement that protests against incidents of police brutality and any racist violence against blacks. This #BlackLivesMatter hashtag activity showcases BLM’s influence in using its social media presence to change the conversation about race and racism in the country and help shape how people worldwide respond to police and other forms of racial inequality.
In 2014, Black Lives Matter spoke out against the deaths of numerous African Americans due to police action, including Dontra Hamilton, Eric Garner, John Crawford III, Michael Brown, Ezell Ford, Laquan McDonald, Akai Gurley, Tamir Rice, Antonio Martin, and Jerome Reid, among others. At the end of May, protests broke out across the country and worldwide. Thousands of people took to the streets, demanding justice in connection with the death of George Floyd and other black people at the hands of the police.
Outrage and a new status quo
At the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, protesters marched across the country to express their outrage at Floyd’s death. Viewed by millions, a disturbing video of Floyd collapsing as a white police officer shocked the entire world. The social media conversation highlights the centrality of his name and the names of many other victims in raising awareness, fostering empathy, and encouraging solidarity with the goals of the BLM movement.
Since the summer of 2020, tens of millions of people in the United States and worldwide have marched under the slogan “Black Lives Matter” to protest the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers. The significance of “Black Lives Matter” has risen to a new level of importance. A recent poll has found declining support among Americans for Black Lives Matter, a year and a half after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and other high-profile black deaths at police rallies, sparking global protests.
The modern racial justice movement has been building up over the years.
However, it has reached a breaking point with the heinous murder of George Floyd and other acts of racial violence against blacks in America. Last summer, after the death of George Floyd, Washington DC became the center of the #BlackLivesMatter protests in the US, inspiring a new generation of activists to this process.
Anti-racism protests across the country have sparked a wave of support and criticism of the movement on social media. It has prompted individuals, companies, and politicians to speak out on divisive issues such as racial equality and funding for police departments. BLM protests and riots worldwide demand the push for police reform. Countries have shown support through their organized demonstrations. In France, protesters protest against their history of racial injustice and police brutality, which have different roots in the United States. They point to civil rights marches that led to changes in voting rights and housing rights. Protests against the Vietnam War helped change public opinion and led to congressional hearings.
A worldwide movement inspired by black people
In the years that followed, Black Lives Matter flags, labels and signs became commonplace in local, national, and even international pro-Black Lives Matter protests. As a result, the information movement evolved into a fragmented social movement. Black Lives Matter has worked hard to be a “leadership” movement from its inception. It has led from the ground up, getting victims, survivors, and those who have experienced it to speak up and be at the forefront of protest marches. In the years that followed, Black Lives Matter research documented protest patterns.
Once the social context that sparked protests (such as police shootings) identified, it’s easy to assume that black political institutions such as the NAACP Office play an important role. However, as the outcry against police brutality continues on the streets and in front of cameras, Black Lives Matter supporters and their allies work behind the scenes in a fragmented but tightly intertwined network to reform state and local government policy.
In March, the BLM held a protest outside the office of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuels, calling for reforms to the NYPD. In response to George Zimmerman’s 2012 acquittal for the shooting and murder of black teenager Trayvon Martin, three activists – Opal Tometi, Alicia Garza, and Patrice Cullors – joined several others on social media to protest the verdict. Anti-racist terms on the internet show up every day. As protests sparked by police serial killings of Eric Garner, Philando Castile, and George Floyd, the surge in use and searches for anti-racism has shown the growing popularity of anti-racism terms and prompted a renewed focus on justice this day.
What is it, and why is it?
The growing use of these terms shows how Black Lives Matter has shifted the conversation towards racism, raising awareness of the issues and setting the stage for social change. According to the authors, while the study did not link anti-racist terms to social change, such as voting or politics, it does show how the current movement is moving towards those changes. According to Terrence Woodbury, a researcher on youth attitudes, “The movement has evolved from blacks against the police to young against police.”
The movement’s emergence has prompted many questions: What is it? Why are they important? What is the message it conveys to society? Why are they important for Black people? And how did these protests influence the conversation about police brutality? But, first, we’ll look at the movement’s history and how it got to where it is today.
Its mission is to bring attention to police brutality and racially discriminatory policies. It also works to build a more comprehensive network of allies. It has helped to create awareness of the problems faced by black communities.
During its first year, the BLM campaign sparked an interest. The protests sparked public discussion and action. As the campaign grew, powerful institutions could no longer ignore the issues that drove it. Many corporations, including Walmart, contributed to the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation and donations to anti-racism organizations. In addition, the bank of America announced a $1 billion commitment to programs serving communities of color.
National outrage and worldwide disgust
The first wave of the Black Lives Matter movement was a demonstration in Ferguson, Missouri, that was followed by the Freedom Ride, which took over five hundred people from across the country. In the same way, the group subsequently made an enormous impact on the US economy, raising questions about government spending priorities. It has also drawn the attention of the media. However, the first wave of the Black Lives Matter movement has failed to inspire much excitement among the public.
Since the first Black Lives Matter protests in DC, the movement has gained significant national attention. While many Americans were unfavorable toward police, more than seventy percent regarded the police as a source of racism. Meanwhile, the campaign has brought attention to the previously marginalized issues. One example is the rise of social media. A hashtag becomes very popular in a social network where everyone is a political activist.
The Black Lives Matter movement was born out of the need to address systemic racism. The black lives matter movement has spread rapidly in the United States and worldwide, with 23 chapters in the US alone by the end of August 2015. The hashtag has grown worldwide, even in places like Ghana and Latin America. The popularity of the hashtag and its associated videos has a growing international interest in the cause.
An ongoing battle
Among the hundreds of protesting groups in Ferguson, the Black Lives Matter group emerged as the most organized. Using the slogan “Black Lives Matter” as a rallying cry, the group sparked a cultural revolution in the United States. While the protests in Ferguson were unpopular in the US, the slogan has become synonymous with the movement’s success in the UK.
As a result of the hashtag, BLM activism has seen substantial precedence online. In a single day, the movement garnered 189,000 tweets about the case in Louisville. In North Charleston, the deaths of Freddie Gray and Meagan Hockaday further increased BLM’s influence. But it is not just the hashtag that has sparked interest in BLM. The campaign’s social media presence helped frame the conversation. In addition, the hashtag has made it easier for people to join the movement.
The Movement for Black Lives Matter protests first saw a great movement of people by the case of George Zimmerman, accused of killing Trayvon Martin. The protesters hoped to change the world, but the BLM Global Network is more committed to restoring the status quo and advocating for Black people. While the Ferguson incident caused tensions among members of the movement, the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag has become a popular trend in the US.