Whose Voices Are Heard? Exploring the voices of the Black Lives Matter movement: Popular Articles & Websites

Student summary: "This article is a crucial supporting piece to the [Black Lives Matter] movement because in order to fully make an education opinion about something, it is so important to know its roots. Who better to tell this story than one of the creators herself? The voice of Alicia Garza is vital to the Black Lives Matter movement, because she started it, without her work and advocacy this movement would not be as groundbreaking. Alicia Garza is a woman of many identities, which makes her even more of an integral part of this movement. As a Black queer woman, Alicia Garza’s activism has to be intersectional because she would never stop fighting for any of her marginalized identities." Source: The Feminist Wire

Student summary: "Opal Tometi and Gerald Lenoir wrote an article together explaining why the Black Lives Matter Movement is in fact not a civil rights movement. Tometi is one of the founders of the movement and is heavily involved in the Black community, while Lenoir is the executive director of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration. Their article states that calling this movement a “civil rights” movement underestimates what they are trying to achieve. They argue that their movement is a human rights issue and their justification is that the movement is a fight for, “full civil, social, political, legal, economic and cultural rights.” They also state that black people don’t only deserve to live, but also to thrive in our society and world and that in the current conditions they cannot do so." Source: TIME

The killing of Michael Brown created a new generation of black activists, with thousands taking to the streets, and a hashtag used more than 27m times. But will the movement survive the Trump era? Source: The Guardian

Student summary: "This article gives insight [into] the Black Lives Matter movement and their goals. [The authors] do a great job at explaining how [BLM was] formed and exactly what they rallied behind. This article gives insider knowledge from those who were on the ground when all of this began. It also does a really good job at explaining their goal [and] how they hope to achieve it. The authors also do a great job at explaining that these protests and movements do not come from one situation but many different incidents." Source: The Conversation

Student summary: "This article is about the three founding members of the Black Lives Matter Movement. [The author] begins by mentioning that all three women, Patrisse Cullors, Opal Tometi and Alicia Garza, were worried about their brothers in today’s society. All three of them have personal reasons as to why they were so worried about their brothers. Either they were arrested for a reason that they did not understand or know, after the death of Trayvon Martin and or when her younger brother started being questioned about his hair style and skin color. The whole article is about how these three strong women started a whole movement. Collier wants to shine the light on these women because they deserve the recognition of creating change." Source: Glamour Magazine

Student summary: "This article and the video in this resource are important to the Black Lives Matter movement because they addresses public health as it relates to the movement and its participants. Topics such as life expectancy, infant mortality, and disease are discussed in this article with statistics that many would not find shocking, but some would. Baig says in this article “It now becomes our role to think about how we can use this moment in time, and these questions to provide real solutions to health inequity.” In a movement dedicated to promoting human rights, public health is a very important issue. What can be done to correct this issue that affects so many people?" Source: Government Alliance on Race and Equity

Student summary: "This article details [a] discussion of Black women involved in the Black Lives Matter movement as co-founder of Black Lives Matter, Patrisse Khan-Cullors and asha bandele address in their book “When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir,” that came out January 16, 2018. This is an important article that talks about Black women as they are often the most ignored, and have the least amount of support as they work to fight for the same cause as the men. They also bring up the point that every tragic incident that happens, as detailed in the memoir, leaves family members and friends devastated; and with the media coverage as narrow as it is, they are left feeling alone." Source: The Root

Student summary: "This article initially talks about Erica Garner, the daughter of Eric Garner, the victim who died of asphyxiation while being arrested. Erica Garner died shortly after Christmas after suffering a massive heart attack that caused extensive brain damage. The author Christen A. Smith, claims that the pain of loss kills with heart attacks, strokes and depression. She focuses on the aftermath the family deals with in the wake of an unexpected loss and how that loss can result in subsequent deaths of family members. This is extremely pertinent to the Black Lives Matter movement as this is one of the major impacts members of the black community are fighting to end." Source: The Conversation

Student summary: "Kat Graham and Darren Genet produced the PSA “At Risk Youth,” a project created by some of the most innovative minds for the movement. The PSA and article came soon after Laquan McDonald and Tamir Rice were killed by police officers and the frustration that ensued. Genet and Graham set out to create this PSA to raise awareness for the Black Lives Matter movement and the impact that the current events are having on people." Source: Kat Graham | Official Site

Student summary: "This article talks about the radical new concept of the Black Lives Matter movement where there is no one leader as there was in the past, like Malcom X or Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This new movement focuses on the concept that being run by the people on the ground forces issues to surface that are actual immediate issues and will allow for the implementation of the solutions more easily because the masses have already fully engulfed and accepted what has been asked for. Barbra Ransby stated in her article, “People are better prepared to carry out solutions they themselves created, instead of ones handed down by national leaders unfamiliar with realities in local communities. Such local work allows people to take ownership of the political struggles that affect their lives.” Source: The New York Times

Student summary: "This is a NPR Podcast interviewing the co-founder of Patrisse Cullors. This interviewer, Audie Cornish, asked how the movement has changed sense the original Facebook post that started the movement. Cullors had explained how the movement has grown and became more popular. This interview also talked about how the 2016 Presidential election has effected the movement, by President Trump’s views, the voters and what it could mean for the movement. Cullors talks about the movement becoming stronger, that there are good well-heated people who voted for Trump, and overall seeing a positive outcomes for the movement." Source: NPR News

Were activists justified when they interrupted the candidate at a Seattle rally? An interview with a young black woman living in Seattle about an event that took place during the 2016 election. Source: The Atlantic

Student summary: "[This article] is important because it shows that a group of marginalized voices could still marginalize other voices. In this article Black Lives Matter activists are rightfully angry by the fact that the women’s march had removed discussion threads that dealt with the exclusion of Queer, Black, and Trans voices. They also talk about the lack of people of color on the official speaking list for the event. [They make] the point that sometimes things like women’s rights can be focused around white women’s rights and ignores an even more marginalized groups of women. The main point of the article is that there are other perspectives to these situations that need to be listen to and not ignored like they had been in this incident." Source: Georgia Straight: Vancouver's News & Entertainment Weekly

The author argues that white allies’ interest in trying to desegregate BLM Philly meetings is antithetical to what allyship is about. Source: Philadelphia

When a police officer shoots a young, unarmed black man in the streets, then does not face indictment, anger in the community is inevitable. It’s what we do with that anger that counts. In such a case, is rioting so wrong? Source: TIME

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Student summary: "This article is important to the Black Lives Matter movement because it talks about the importance of having voices from the Black community in the media talking about the social issues that exist today. We are hearing White males talk about issues that queer Black women, as Ms. Matthews identifies herself, for example, are facing. The problem is that then the issues are misconstrued and misrepresented. Part of the problem is that we think that one or two voices make up the entirety of the opinion of a certain community, and that simply isn’t true. This article addresses the need for diversity in media, and how without diversity we lack the humanity of it all, and we have cultivated a narrow perspective in the media. We see Black communities as an idea or an entity with an agenda, not as individuals. We turn to a spokesperson for a certain community and consider that community’s central idea-- but it is only a single perspective." Source: Colorlines

Student summary: "This is an important topic of discussion surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement, especially in the current political and social climate that we live in. Ms. Sen addresses “colorblindness” and how to talk about race in a way that doesn’t minimize the social issues that plague society today; giving three tips for talking about race in a productive and meaningful way. First she says to use specific language and “plain talk” rather than the minimizing and nondescript language that we have come to use. Second, she says to focus on impact rather than intention because otherwise the conversation comes to a stand-still. Finally, she advises to use strategic terms in addition to moral arguments to structure the conversation; this keeps the conversation from ending at what one person thinks is “right.” These tips are important both for people engaging in conversation and for understanding the conversation surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement." Source: MIT News

In a statement on her website today, simply called “Freedom,” Beyoncé not only encourages us all to stand up and end violence against Black people, she urges us to contact our political leaders. Source: Black Youth Project

A video by Brave New Films that breaks down stats about the experiences of black people in America and more in a takedown of the idea that systemic racism isn't a real problem in America. Source: Vox

You could be forgiven for thinking the movement has gone quiet. But you’d be wrong. Source: The Nation

Black Lives Matter protests have been monitored by the US government and have been seen as a potential threat, according to recently released documents from the FBI and the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Source: Al Jazeera

The phrase "Black Lives Matter" was already hotly debated - and that was before it was reportedly used by the suspect who is thought to have killed five police officers during a sniper attack in Dallas. Over the past three years, a powerful hashtag and movement has grown up to protest against police killings of black people in America. Source: BBC News

Student summary: "This article offers a brief, yet detailed description of the civil rights and black power movements of the last 100 years in America, and explains the similarities and differences with the current Black Lives Matter movement. The historical context provided is an important thing for all Americans to understand because it sheds much-needed light on the current state of race relations. This article also explains how Black Lives Matter got started and how it has grown and changed over time. This piece is important because it provides an explanation of BLM in a format that every reader can understand." Source: New Republic

While officer convictions are rare, police killings have spawned "Black Lives Matter" protests and have led to notable changes -- including reforms to police policy. Here's how some of the most high-profile cases have turned out... Source: CNN

"The Black Lives Matter Vancouver chapter is a cause that supports the organizing work of black folks and allies in undoing systemic racialized violence."

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undreds of Oregon City High School students walked out of class Thursday morning, after a photo of students holding a sign including a racial slur went viral on Twitter. Source:KATU.com