Black Lives Matter

Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a term initially popularized by the hashtag #Blacklivesmatter and used to raise awareness of police violence and the lack of accountability for the murders of Black people. The hashtag went viral in social media and other media outlets in the summer of 2013 after vigilante George Zimmerman was acquitted of all charges for the fatal shooting of unarmed Black teenager Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida. BLM has since grown into a movement that focuses on fighting anti-Black racism while, at the same time, maintaining an intersectional politics that creates a space for often minoritized populations within Black communities, including Black trans people.

The hashtag was coined by Black queer woman organizer Alicia Garza, who, along with two other radical Black feminist ...