The Black Lives Matter Movement (2013- )

Black Lives Matter protest Times Square New York City June 7, 2020
Black Lives Matter protest Times Square New York City June 7, 2020

The Black Lives Matter Movement has grown into the largest Black-led protest campaign since the 1960s. While specific goals and tactics vary by city and state, overall the movement seeks to bring attention to police violence against African Americans and in particular the use of deadly force against mostly unarmed civilians. While the issue of police brutality and unnecessary deadly force has been a focal point of Black anger and frustration through much of the 19th and all of the 20th centuries, the violent death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin at the hands of neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman in 2012 galvanized various efforts into a single national movement.

This page begins with an article by Professor Herb Ruffin describing the founding (and founders) of the movement. The entries that follow identify incidents both before and after 2013 which have inspired the activism of Black Lives Matter members and supporters.

Black Lives Matter Protest in Tel Aviv, Israel, 2015
Black Lives Matter Protest in Tel Aviv, Israel, 2015

We at BlackPast.org know this is an incomplete list. We are aware of other names that should be included and sadly we are constantly adding profiles because the violence that causes this unnecessary loss of life continues to this day.  We ask your help in identifying and writing profiles of these and other individuals not yet covered. If you are interested in contributing to this list, please contact us at [email protected].

Articles:
Black Lives Matter: The Growth of a New Social Justice Movement
Nine Minutes in May: How George Floyd’s Death Shook the World

Founders:
Alicia Garza
Patrisse Cullors
Opal Tometi

Other Significant Leaders:
DeRay Mckesson

The Incidents:
Berry Lawson Case, 1938
The Groveland Four, 1949
Johnny Robinson, 1963
Bobby Hutton, 1968
Eula Mae Love, 1979
Michael Stewart, 1983
Mulugeta Seraw, 1988
Phillip Pannell Jr., 1990
Rodney King, 1991
Latasha Harlins, 1991
Abner Louima, 1997
Amadou Diallo, 1999
Prince Jones, 2000
Roger Owensby, Jr., 2000
Timothy DeWayne Thomas, Jr., 2001
Orlando Barlow, 2003
Alberta Spruill, 2003
Henry Glover, 2005
Kathryn Johnston, 2006
Sean Elijah Bell, 2006
Deaunta T. Farrow, 2007
Tarika Wilson, 2008
Oscar Juliuss Grant III, 2009
Kiwane Albert Carrington, 2009
Aiyana Stanley-Jones, 2010
Derrick Jones, 2010
Reginald Doucet, 2011
Alonzo Ashley, 2011
Kenneth Chamberlain, Sr., 2011
Anthony Lamar Smith, 2011
Ramarley Graham, 2012
Trayvon Martin, 2012
Wendell James Allen, 2012
Shereese Francis, 2012
Rekia Boyd, 2012
Tamon Robinson, 2012
Sharmel Edwards, 2012
Shantel Davis, 2012
Reynaldo Cuevas, 2012
Jordan Russell Davis, 2012
Malissa Williams, 2012
Timothy R. Russell, 2012

The Black Lives Matter Movement is Founded

Deion Fludd, 2013
Carlos Alcis, 2013
Andy Lopez, 2013
Yvette Smith, 2014
Eric Garner, 2014
John Crawford III, 2014
Michael Brown, Jr., 2014
Ezell Ford, 2014
Laquan McDonald, 2014
Akai Kareem Gurley, 2014
Tamir Rice, 2014
Natasha McKenna, 2015
Walter Lamar Scott, 2015
Freddie Gray, Jr., 2015
Sandra Bland, 2015
Samuel DuBose, 2015
Christian Taylor, 2015
Corey Lamar Jones, 2015
Jamar O’Neal Clark, 2015
Gregory Gunn, 2016
Philando Castile, 2016
Joseph C. Mann, 2016
Abdirahman Abdi, 2016
Jamarion Rashad Robinson, 2016
Sylville Smith, 2016
Terence Crutcher, 2016
Keith Lamont Scott, 2016
Alfred Okwera Olango, 2016
Deborah J. Danner, 2016
Alton Sterling, 2016
Jocques Clemmons, 2017
Charleena Lyles, 2017
Patrick Harmon, 2017
Charles Smith, Jr., 2018
Anthony Weber, 2018
Markeis McGlockton, 2018
Botham Shem Jean, 2018
Jemel Roberson, 2018
Emantic Fitzgerald Bradford Jr., 2018
William McCoy, 2019
Javier Ambler II, 2019
Brandon Webber, 2019
Elijah McClain, 2019
Atatiana Jefferson, 2019
Ahmaud Arbery, 2020
Manuel Ellis, 2020
Breonna Taylor, 2020
George Floyd, 2020
Rayshard Brooks, 2020
Jacob Blake, 2020

Black Lives Matter: International

Clive Mensah, 2019
Jamal Francique, 2020
D’Andre Anthony Campbell, 2020
Caleb Tubila Njoko, 2020
Regis Korchinski-Paquet, 2020

Related Entries

Benjamin Lloyd Crump
Darnella Frazier
Ferguson Riot and Ferguson Unrest, 2014-2015
Black Lives Matter, Seattle Chapter, 2014-
Baltimore Protests and Riots, 2015
Black Lives Matter, Syracuse Chapter, 2015-
Milwaukee Riot, 2016
Charlotte Riot, 2016
Erica Gwen-Elise Snipes Garner, 2017


Related Pages:

Racial Violence in the United States Since 1660
Lynching in the United States Since 1865
Race, Crime, and Incarceration in the United States
Black Lives Matter Official Website