
Over the past five years, the deaths of the Black youth in the American society have made headlines throughout the news. The deaths created a race war against the Black community and was made public to a whole nation who lacks the drive to take a firm stand. This led to the formation of the Movement for Black Lives. The visual text selected shows the movement in action as it protests many deaths of the Black Youth. This movement recognizes not only the recent past but the history of oppression and discrimination in the Black community since the birth of this country. The movement’s primary goal is putting an “end to the war against Black people” (“End the War” 1). A propaganda poster for this movement features a large crowd and a young Black male protesting. The young black male in the center of the picture is holding a dandelion flower. A dandelion is widely recognized an object one may wish upon, and it is used in this picture as a symbol of hope for the Black community. In the picture, the crowds are holding signs with the key phrase “Black Lives Matter” inscribed on them. The posters and signs seen in the visual text show a connection to the Black Lives Movement. Due to the past events this movement believes it was treated unfairly due to the deaths of Trayvon Martin Eric Garner, and Michael Brown.

The Movement for Black Lives began when Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old black male, was shot on February 26, 2012 (Camilleri 1.) Trayvon Martin was in Sanford, Florida to visit his father. He was walking at night when he was confronted by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watchman. Zimmerman reported suspicious activity to 911 and was told to remain in his car, but he disobeyed the instructions given to him. Neighbors then called 911 due to gunfire heard on the street. George Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman claims his actions were in self-defense, but he never identified himself as neighborhood watch nor did he call the police himself after he shot Martin. More calls were released by authorities showing more evidence that points against Zimmerman. In one of the released phone calls, one can hear the words ‘Help! Help!’ followed by a gunshot. Zimmerman, prior to all of this, dispatches using racial slurs to describe Martin. Zimmerman was eventually found not guilty even with the evidence presented against him (“Trayvon Martin” 1-5).  Rallies were held not only in Sanford, but throughout the entire nation. The phrase shown in the visual text, “Black Lives Matter,” was born due to the shooting of this 17-year-old. This case showcases the social injustice perpetrated against the Black community. It begs citizens of this country to ask the question, “What if the roles were reversed in case? What would be the outcome?” As if the killing of Trayvon Martin was not horrific enough, it is followed by many more deaths of the Black society.

After the chaos from the death of Trayvon Martin died down, two years later the movement is suddenly rekindled by the killing of Eric Garner in New York, on July 17, 2014. The streets of major cities flooded with protest as pictured in this visual text. Eric Garner, a 43-year-old male was confronted by police for the suspicion of selling untaxed cigarettes (Camilleri 3). A video surfaced of this incident, showing Garner being harassed and eventually killed by these police officers. Garner was put in an illegal chokehold and fell to the ground after being swarmed by police officers. In the video, Garner repeatedly states “I can’t breathe” but the officer continues to choke him out and smash his face into the ground. Garner laid there limp and motionless as none of the officers tried to resuscitate him. Garner was declared dead in a nearby hospital hours after the incident. Daniel Pantaleo, the officer who choke out Garner, was not indicted by the Grand Jury (“‘I Can’t Breathe’” 1). Riots and protests broke out across the nation after the officer was not thrown in jail. The video shown makes it obvious that Garner was defenseless and not causing any harm to any officers, yet was still killed and the officer responsible was not indicted. The phrase “I can’t breathe!” was born and has been protested throughout major cities ever since the incident. The protest shown in the visual text is a peaceful example of how the Black community dealt with the loss of Eric Garner. However, the death of Eric Garner did not stop the killing of the Black youth.

Not even a month after the death of Eric Garner, the movement took a stand behind the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, on August 9, 2014 (Camilleri 4). Michael Brown, an unarmed, 18-year-old male, was tracked down by Officer Darren Wilson. Wilson was responding to a robbery of a nearby convenience store when he saw Brown and a friend walking on the street. Brown matched the description given by the clerk, so Officer Wilson pulled up next to Brown and his friend. The police reported there was a physical altercation between the two that resulted in Brown running away and eventually dying due to multiple gunshot wounds. Michael Brown was then left there for an investigation instead of being rushed to a hospital (Hayes 1). The city of Ferguson, enraged by the lack of treatment Brown received, exploded into riots and protests. The phrase “Hands up, don’t shoot!” was born during the protest (V.P. Franklin 348). The shooting of Michael Brown played a major role in the Movement of Black Lives, which is portrayed by the protests in the visual text. 

In conclusion, all three of these cases are symbolized in visual text and show the reason for protesting by the Black community.  The deaths discussed throughout this paper have caused frustration, pain and heart break for the Black culture. All three of these deaths of Black males could have been avoided if proper procedure would have been followed. The inequality the Black culture receives continuously is shown by these three cases. The visual text represents all of the protests that occurred after the deaths of these men. The text also shows the term “Black Lives Matter” written on the poster in response to the death Trayvon Martin and all the other deaths in this movement. In the situation of Eric Garner, the sign would read “I Can’t Breathe!” In the situation of Michael Brown, the sign would read “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot!”. These three phrases show a timeline of events that have led the Black Lives Movement to grow stronger and stronger. The Movement of Black Lives will not quit until their goal is reached. As a nation, unity behind the Black community is key to bring the war to an end!
