A Call to Matter
June 13, 2020
This post was written by Vivian Chen. In the field of finance and accounting, Vivian Chen is filled with enthusiasm to create positive social impact through business. She is, among other things, a believer in the power of being civically engaged and informed.
On May 25, the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, by a white police officer created an unprecedented outcry. A wave of protests on the streets of American cities and towns as well as social media activism under the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag followed the incident. While George Floyd’s death was the catalyst, these responses are about much more: protesting police brutality, flighting claims of white supremacy, and standing against various forms of racial injustice. These are longstanding challenges for America, ones recently highlighted by the 2012 shooting of Trayvon Martin and the 2016 shooting of Michael Brown. Although both instances also resulted in widespread internet activism as well as mass public demonstrations, this latest outrage has far surpassed any previous response.
What is “Black Lives Matter?”
Black Lives Matter (BLM) is both an organization and a movement. It was created after the acquittal of the man who killed Trayvon Martin as “a call to action in response to state-sanctioned violence and anti-Black racism.” Modern advocacy against racism can be traced back to the 1950s and 1960s, with notable leaders including Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK), Rosa Parks, and Malcolm X. The current BLM campaign is a continuation of those efforts from the mid-20th century and acquiring additional momentum through anger over the acquittal of the person who killed Trayvon Martin, unrest over the shooting of Michael Brown, and most recently, the brutal and horrific death of George Floyd while three police officers looked on with complicity.
BLM targets not only anti-Black racism but also the systemic “state-sanctioned violence” embodied by police brutality. Far from outside the United States, the magnitude of America’s problem in this regard can be difficult to grasp. According to the World Economic Forum, police killings in the United States in 2014 were as high as 1,100 (sources from KilledbyPolice.net) compared with countries such as Germany, UK, Australia, and Japan, where police killings were 6, 2, 6, and 0, respectively.
Why are BLM advocates so worked up over a few incidents of anti-Black racism and police brutality? This is because these occurrences represent only a few high profile examples of a statistically well-documental pattern. According to a WEF article, “Black people were killed by police at more than twice the rate of white people in 2015” and “32% of these black victims were unarmed when they were killed...twice the number of unarmed white people to die at the hands of the police.”
Through individual efforts as well as creating and sharing content on social media, the BLM campaign aims to raise awareness of these concerns and make them an issue for ongoing public scrutiny.
But don’t all lives matter?
This is a common misconception of the BLM message. Of course all lives should matter, that is exactly the point. As evidenced by the numbers above, Black lives are not being treated as if they matter as much as white lives. Blacks are disproportionately affected by police violence and other forms of systemic racism. Truly ensuring all lives matter begins with addressing the systemic inequalities experienced by Blacks and other marginalized groups in law enforcement, the criminal justice system, and elsewhere.
Since police brutality does not apply much to my country, what does BLM mean for me?
Anti-Black racism is not limited to the United States, and Blacks within the United States borders are certainly not the only targets of racism. Even absent a substantial Black population, many countries have traditionally-marginalized minorities with whom the BLM message resonates. Many European countries, including the UK, France, and Belgium, have their own anti-Black legacies resulting from the slave trade or colonialism. Blacks and allies around the world are engaged in campaigns to demonstrate solidarity and resistance. Examples over the years include the #Palestine2Ferguson movement on social media, Ethiopians protesting for anti-Black racist discrimination in Israel, and protests over the justice for George Floyd in countries such as the U.K., Germany, and Canada.
Additionally, anti-racism directly advances Goal 10 (Reduced Inequalities) of the UN Sustainable Development Goals while indirectly bolstering efforts to combat factors contributing to systemic racism, such as Goal 1 (No Poverty). These goals serve as a blueprint for the greatest global challenges we have to overcome in order to achieve a better future for the world. It is not only “nice” to contribute to BLM, iit is a responsibility for us all.
What does BLM activism look like for non-US citizens?
Protesting is certainly one method but there are many other ways to contribute.
If you represent an organization, enterprise, or institution, you have financial and social power you can leverage for social and political change. Consider:
Donate to organizations working on addressing anti-Black racism,
Make a commitment to anti-racism as an organization, consider making a public statement via your website and on social media.
As an individual, there are also many things you can do to contribute:
Donate to organizations working on addressing anti-Black racism,
Donate your time if you cannot spare money, and
Educate yourself and those around you using resources such as books, podcasts, and films.
How can we sustain the impact?
Keep the conversation going. Let’s think about how we can each leverage our talents to make a lasting impact on anti-racism efforts and create a better future.
