Happy 7th Birthday to the #blacklivesmatter movement , what have we achieved and what's next ?

On the 26th February 2012, 17 year old Trayvon Martin , a high school student from Miami Gardens in Florida, had been visiting his father (Tracy Martin) in a gated community in Sanford, Florida. On this day specifically, Trayvon had gone out in the evening to go to a local shop where he then purchased a bag of skittles and a can of Arizona tea. On his way back home, George Zimmerman - who was a neighbourhood watch captain for that gated community - saw Trayvon from his SUV and called the police due to  'a suspicious person' in the neighbourhood. Zimmerman was instructed not to get out of his car or follow him and leave it up to the police. Zimmerman did not listen to this but instead proceeded to follow Trayvon leading to an altercation between the two , in which gunshots that led to Trayvon's death were eventually fired. His last words were ' what are you following me for ? ' It was not until Martin's dad called to file a missing person report claim that news of his death came to his father.  Just as of a few weeks later ( March 12th 2012 ) , Zimmerman had still not been charged as authorities claimed that there was no evidence that would contradict what he had said happened and therefore it could be deemed self - defense. It took until March 19th for the Justice Department and the FBI announced that they had started an investigation into the murder and a further month for Zimmerman to hand himself into police custody where  he was charged with second degree murder ( April 11th 2012 ). Zimmerman pleaded not guilty and after several hearings was finally acquitted of all charges on July 13th 2013.

After this the media went into uproar, people felt upset, disappointed, betrayed by the system that was meant to protect them. Alicia Garza, activist, then tweeted :

' Black people: I love you. I love us. Our lives matter, Black Lives Matter '  

On the same day of Zimmerman's acquittal , Garza's friend and also activist , Patrisse Cullors then shared the last three words again ' Black Lives Matter' as a hashtag birthing the #blacklivesmatter movement. Then after this, another activist and writer - Opal Tometi - offered to build up the hashtag and give it even more of a presence on social media so that even more activists could connect under it.

The #blacklivesmatter movement became even more relevant and even more popular after the murder of Eric Garner on July 17th 2014 who's last words ' I Can't Breathe ' is something that still strongly resonates with us today, only two months later the murder of Michael Brown Jr shook America and even the world once again. The movement quickly became associated with police brutality in America for which some statistics are below :

• In 2019 alone, police in the U.S killed 1098 people.
• Black people living in the states are 3x more likely to be killed by a police officer.
• A shocking 99% of killings between 2013 and 2019 in America by the police did not result in criminal charges to the officers involved.

But #BlackLivesMatter continued to go strong with the hashtag being used up to and even over 50,000 times a day online.

So 7 whole years later, as of today, on the 7th July 2020. What have we achieved ?

This year alone, especially after the killing of George Floyd just over 1 month ago, with the help of the movement, protests and several other factors, we have managed to make a differnce.

• The four officers invloved in George Floyd's death were charged and arrested
• Elijah Mcclain's case has been re- opened for investigation
• The movement could be deemed the largest civil rights movement in history
• Police reform is finally being looked into, starting with Minneapolis City Council who announced that they intend to disband the local police department and invest in community led public safety
• Breonna's Law passed in Louisville, making no - knock warrants illegal
• Ahmaud Arbery's murderers were finally tried
• Ferguson ( the town where Michael Brown Jr lost his life ) elected their first female and first black mayor
• A bill in Colorado was passed meaning abusive law enforcement policies can be addressed 
• Statues of racist historical figures are being brought down
• Big companies such as Twitter and Nike have joined the movement and taken a stand and have even listed Juneteenth as company holidays.

and there's even more so slowly but effectively, changes are being made but what now ?

There is still more to do, for example , unfortunately,  no arrests have been made in Breonna's Taylor murder ( now making it 122 days since her death ) but what can you do to help?

Well....

• Keep signing petitions, they really make a difference, every signature counts....
• Email local MPs / Mayors / your equivalent
• Donate where possible and if you can't donate then there are videos on YouTube made just so any ad revenue made is donated, for example ( https://youtu.be/bCgLa25fDHM )
• Keep the conversation going, BLM is not a trend so don't treat it like one, keep talking to friends and family about what's going on, even if it's uncomfortable. Being uncomfortable is good, if you're not uncomfortable, you're not listening.
• Educate yourself!! This is a big one, keep yourself informed on what is going on around you and even educate other just like I try to do with this blog. There are many books and movies and similar things like that as well as several accounts that can help you understand the issue.
• Share. Sharing things like this and other posts are ways that you can spread awareness on what is happening because no matter how long it takes, changes will be made and spreading awareness may make that happen even sooner.
• Use your voice. 'There comes a time when silence is betrayal' - MLK. Remember that it is not enough to not support racism but to be actively anti - racist.
• Also remember that this was not, is not and will never be a 'black on white' issue but a good vs bad, a way that we can do what is right.
• Support. Continue to support accounts/people/brands and similar things to this trying their best to make change in anyway they can. As well as this support all your friends , especially those of colour, what we're dealing with isn't easy
• Recognise your privilege. If you are a white person then recognise your white privilege and use it for good. Take advantage of it.

These are just a few of the ways to help. But in the 7 years of #blacklivesmatter, we have achieved so much yet there is more to do. This is a marathon the we as people of colour and our most valued allies have been running since the beginning of time but this year we seem even more close to that finish line so let's get there. slowly but surely. So to finally finish off:

Black Lives Matter, today, tomorrow and everyday after that.

Happy 7 years to a life - changing movement, 

keep on fighting,

- Princess:)