Black Lives Matter Movement Essay

Over the last three decades world has witnessed several forms of civil rights movements and activism that were caused by emerging issues such as climate change, terrorism, and gender based violence. All these sparked movements that captured the attention of the international media and concerned players. In 2013, the world witnessed yet another form of civil rights activism, Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, which spread like wildfire thanks to the power of social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. The shooting of Trayvon Martin in 2013 by a US police officer while he was walking unarmed and without posing any danger to the law enforcer sparked a reaction of outrage among the American people who took to the streets to condemn the cold blood killing of the teenager. The history of injustice and unfair treatment of minority groups in the US is as old as the times of slave trade where human beings were subjected to inhumane treatments. Therefore, the Black Lives Matter movement is the culmination of historical injustices that has been meted on the minority groups, more specifically African Americans, in America (Hurst et al., 13). There are many causes that can be listed and which can explain the cause of the Black Lives Matter movement, however, the essay will focus on three main causes, namely, racism, inequality, and police brutality.

Racism is classification of the human race based on color. The historical believe and perception that one race is superior and another is weaker has led to the discrimination, prejudice, and stereotyping of people based on race. Racism against African American and Hispanics groups in America dates back to the period before the country gained independence, 1776, and it has persisted in numerous forms to the present day. Historically, one of the major causes of civil rights movements in the 1950s to 1960s in America was racism. The most notable personality in the period, Martin Luther King Junior, took an active role to protest different forms racist laws that were normal in some of the American states at that time. At that time racism was more implied and laws segregation laws which openly denied entry to certain places people of African descent were publicly displayed. The activism of the 50s and 60s played a significant role in not only shading light on racist laws but also in being part of their elimination (Jones-Eversley et al., 315) First, forward, the modern forms of racism is largely implied and institutionalized. The perception of hierarchical rank of race is still very much at play in modern society. Racist acts against black people in different places including hospitals, schools, and public parks are not hard to witness. The whites who are the majority discriminate against black people by treating them as second class citizens and by subjecting them to mistreatment, hateful slurs, and at times physical abuse. Such acts are racist and it has fueled tension between the members of the two races to the extent that it has matured to hate and permanent enmity. However, it is worth noting that as much as racist acts against blacks is undertaken by whites does not insinuate that all the members of the majority groups are racist or are in support of inhumane treatment of others, instead there are many people from the dominant race that are working around the clock to end racism in America. Racism has featured greatly in the hiring of law enforcers. The overrepresentation of white officers in black neighborhoods is one aspect that displays open racism. Most of the states in the US hire their sheriffs from the immediate community where they will be placed. However, some states choose to send non locals to work as sheriffs in black neighborhoods thus openly showing discrimination. As much as racism is a major cause of Black Lives Matter movement, racism in the sense of it cannot cause differences except for the acts that create differences such as economic, hate, abuse, and murder. As mentioned, against black people is perpetrated by a few elements that have created an impression that the entire white majority are against black minority.

Inequality is another aspect that greatly contributes to the black live matter movement. Due to the generational economic zoning and sidelining of black people within the American society, it has resulted in the creation of poor neighborhoods. The poor neighborhoods are the main breeding point for crimes and drug abuse. According to research, the white college graduates are three times more likely to be hired as compared to black graduates with similar qualifications. Equally, the African American men take home seventy cents as compared to a full dollar paid to a white American worker. The situation is even worse for black women who take home sixty cents cumulatively as compared to a dollar received by white male workers. The judges are two times more likely to convict and send black law people with minor offenses to jail terms as compared to their white counterparts (Drakulich et al 379). These unequal treatments on the face of law have even made the situation worse thus prompting the movement of Black Lives Matter. It is believed that due to high crime rates, black estates end up to four times more policed as compared to those occupied by whites. The over policing based on race explains another form of inequality that angers blacks against the unfair system. The inequalities discussed above portray a strong concern that needs to be addressed and it will only be achieved through collective efforts of the federal government, states, and civil rights groups. Inequality is a natural creation within any given society and there is no point in time when all the people in any given place will be equal. The racial inequality is akin to inequality in; education, gender, wealth, height, body size, brain capacity, and talents or skills among others. Therefore, the differences that bring about inequality cannot be completely or exhaustively addressed except for basic issues such as economic and fairness in the application of the maintenance of law and order.

Police brutality has been one of the major public concerns in America in the recent past. There have been debates in the congress with regards to what amounts to excessive force within the police practice. Others have questioned police motives when handling people of color and African Americans. All the concerns about police have all pointed to a conclusion that there are elements within the department who do not abide by the code of conduct. The death of George Floyd in May 2020 who was murdered by Minneapolis police officer Chauvin Derek via triangulation is one of the recent examples of a case of police brutality that not only highlights the level of insensitivity towards blacks but also a case of law enforcers going against the oath of office. Perhaps, police brutality is a trigger that brought about the deep underlying issue of racism and inequality against black people in the American society (Williamson et al., 403). The recent extrajudicial killings of black people under controversial circumstances opened deep wounds of racial and economic injustices that have taken place over the years against minority groups. The rising cases of excessive use of force by police against black teenagers as compared to their white counterparts have elicited the history of policing and incarceration. Despite being a minority group, up to a third of prisons in the US are occupied by blacks while another third accounts for the people of color.

As much as Black Lives Matter movement is strongly linked to the three discussed causes (police brutality, inequality, and racism) there are more than what meets the high and it appears that the movement elevates and protects hooliganism, lawlessness, and burglary. In many instances, the police have acted with force because black suspects resist arrest and instead choose to attack officers or run away. Equally, inequality in the job market is largely explained by experience, expertise, and educational attainment requirements that often lack among black job seekers. On the same note, racism is more creation of the mind than it is a reality. Most of the blacks tend to think that whites hate them thus they end up treating every member of the dominant group with hostility or hate (Hurst et al., 17). When the tables are turned it becomes a subject of racism against minorities.

In summary, Black Lives Matter is a clarion call that seeks to end human rights abuses meted on the African Americans in the US and across the world. The movement was largely triggered by police brutality through extrajudicial murders of unarmed black people thus exposing the deep racial and inequality issues that have led to the sidelining of the African Americans over the years. Economic or social status differences between blacks and whites are a major form of inequality that explains high rates of delinquency in the former as compared to the latter. However, Black Lives Matter movement has brought up another challenge of lawlessness, burglary, and street violence. These hidden miss-norms in an erstwhile good and noble civil rights course have watered down the entire call because such acts make people or think that the entire process is meant to bring about disorderliness in the American society.