Trayvon Martin, 17 years old, was an African American male who walked to a nearby convenience store to purchase a drink and a bag of skittles. On his walk back home, he decided to walk through a neighborhood, which had many robberies in the past year. George Zimmerman, was a member of the community watch and he saw Trayvon and decided to call the police to report suspicious behavior. He approached Trayvon which ended in an altercation between them, causing Zimmerman to be injured and the death of Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman was not charged, nor was he arrested for his actions and the media was outraged. Justice was needed for the death of Trayvon Martin and the political movement, Black Lives Matter Movement originated because of this event. The political movement Black Lives Matter advocates for the lives of Blacks, but in order for it to be considered effective, it needs to be appealing, have supporters and reasonable goals.

The Civil Rights Movement was a political movement that started in the 1960s and continued for many years. It included many important leaders within the African American community, which who are taught in many Social Studies Classes. This political movement protested against segregation and discrimination of the African American ethnicity. African Americans were slaves and they wanted to seek freedom and equality for themselves as well as their families. According to Santoro Wayne, he conducted his own research to understand if the Civil Rights Movement was effective or successful. He states, “Rather than recite the opinions of historians or movement leaders, report social science indicators, or look to the passage of civil rights laws, I instead use surveys of self-identified blacks, which asked them if racial discrimination has declined since the civil rights movement,” (Wayne 628). His findings suggested that only 58 percent of the population believed the political movement was a success, while the other 42 percent believed it was a complete failure. In order for people to provide their opinion of whether a political movement is successful, the facts should be presented and a set definition of the word ‘successful’ needs to be defined. For a movement to be considered successful it needs to appeal to a large group of people, have supporters and have goals. The Civil Rights Movement contained all of these different elements which considered it to be an effective political movement. Despite the opinions of other bystanders, the movement accomplished the means necessary it targeted. Regardless whether people agree with them or if people had different hope for the goals. In relation to the Black Lives Matter movement, there will always be people who will not consider the movement to be successful. The goals that the political movement contributes to determines if the movement is successful. The movement advocates for the lives of Blacks and it encourages Blacks to speak up and stand up for the lives of others who are not able to speak for themselves. Overall, the movement appeals to a large group of people, and it is continuing to grow in present day society.

In the recent years, there has been reported incidents about violence against the African American race in the United States. In response to these outrages, My Brother’s Keeper and Black Lives Matter movements were formed to raise awareness within the United States, as a whole. My Brother’s Keeper was an organization that was created by former President Barack Obama. It addressed opportunity gaps that multicultural boys and young men faced and it helped to assure them that they can reach their full potential. This organization was a way for young men of color to understand their role in the world and to show them many ways they are able to affect their community in a positive way (Obama). This organization was a success because it impacted the males who were multicultural while also expanding across the United States. Xherics states “… more than 60 superintendents of the largest urban school districts have pledged to develop aligned strategies. And nearly 200 mayors, county executives and tribal leaders have accepted [the] challenge to develop locally driven, comprehensive cradle-to-college-and-career strategies aimed at improving the life outcomes [for young men of color],” (Xherics 97). The program My Brother’s Keeper expanded in a year and it continued to gain supporters who wanted to be a part of the goals that the organization set to achieve. Although the movement did not appeal to African American females, who were also a part of the violence reported in the United States, the movement was still considered to be effective. The movement appealed to African American males and continued to gain supporters who were willing to be a positive impact of young men of color lives. Not only did this movement appeal to a large group of people, it also had many supporters and it set reasonable goals. The Black Lives Matter Movement started out by wanting justice for the death of Trayvon Martin and it began with the trending hashtag, #BlackLivesMatter. Due to the advancement of technology, this hashtag became a trending topic and the Black Lives Matter Movement expanded within a few months, and it is continuing to expand in present day society. The growth of this movement showed that many people supported their establishment and they wanted to continue to address issues that were present within black communities. 

In comparison to the Black Lives Matter Movement, the Civil Rights Movement and My Brother’s Keeper Movement were two effective political movements that helped to define the definition of what it takes to be an effective movement. The Black Lives Matter Movement originated around the death of Trayvon Martin which sparked a huge sight within the African American community. Many people wanted justice for his death and other African Americans were frightened of their own lives as well as their children’s. The Black Lives Matter Movement is a movement created by Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi. The sole purpose of the movement and why it was created was to enhance black liberation and address many structural inequalities that produce violence within African American communities. Within the African American communities, group members are denied their full rights as citizens. In the article, Which Black Lives Matter?, by Xherics Mendez, he states “The statement and approach put forth by Black Lives Matter is noteworthy in that they have foregrounded the concerns of women of color, queer and gender-nonconforming folks of color, trans-folks, and different abled bodies of color and ultimately centered the voices of those that have been historically marginalized even within the context of liberatory struggle,” (97). The Black Lives Matter movement does not target just African American males, it also targets a larger spectrum of people who are affected and can be affected by violence.

In order for a political movement to be considered effective, it must have goals and objectives that the movement is willing to achieve. The goals should affect the group of people the movement aims to strive for, while also providing ways on how the organization can achieve these goals. One of the main goals of the Black Lives Matter Movement addresses economic struggles within the African American community (Vega). Black Lives Matter Movement wants to improve the financial statues of African Americans. Ways that this goal can be set forth is by reconstructing tax codes, creating new jobs in the workforce, and using federal money to reinvest in education within predominately black communities and employment. According to Tanzina Vega, “The issues dealing with race and racism and racial inequality in the United States are intimately connected to the issues of wealth inequality.” African Americans are considered to be part of the lower class in today’s society and no one is able to advocate for their rights. They are taxed more and many of them do not have jobs. The minority group is considered to be uneducated and they are still being racial profiled and discriminated against within the United States. There has been an increase in police brutality in the black communities, where many low-income African Americans, mainly males, are convicted for small crimes. The Black Lives Matter Movement wants to help improve financial statues of the African Americans communities as well as encourage them to believe that their lives matter and people are here to support them when they are struggling. Although the organization is not able to just give money to communities, they are able to achieve these goals and express to the world why certain events need to be prevented. Another goal of the Black Lives Matter Movement is to help people, specifically African Americans who are being targeted by society. They want to provide them with other options in America, such as job opportunities, educational opportunities, and financial improvement opportunities. Due to the fact that the majority of African American communities are considered to be of low-income, this is the primary result of the issues of racism and racial inequality in the United States.

The Black Lives Matter Movement have many goals and achievements that they are willing to accomplish. They also raise awareness about certain issues that are arising and are becoming more dominant in the African American communities. The death of Trayvon Martin presented a common stereotype that many African American males are facing in today’s society. The fact that Martin was walking through a neighborhood with dark clothing and a hoodie, he was considered a threat. He was confronted for looking suspicious and he was killed. Michael Brown was an African American male who was shot to death by a white police officer because he robbed a convenience store, however Brown was unarmed and proceeded to put his hands up. There have been many other incidents where African Americans are victims of these crimes and they risked their lives because of some unjustified actions. The Black Lives Matter Movement wants to raise awareness of the crimes that are present within the African American population while seeking justice from their fellow family and friends. Police brutality is one of the main issues that this organization strives to raise awareness upon. A mannequin challenge went viral across the internet and Emily Shapiro decided to write an article about this powerful meaning behind the video. She writes “The scenes include: A man and woman sitting in a car as a police officer points a gun at them. A man slumped over outside a car with a cop’s gun drawn on him. A man in a hoodie holding skittles. A man wearing a Colin Kaepernick jersey. A group of Black Lives Matter activists.” The video not only addressed police brutality but it also highlighted many other issues that needed to be addressed. People are concerned about the lives of others and they are willing to protest about these actions. This shows that people are able to have each other’s back and they are willing to go the extra mile in order for the United States to demonstrate unity. This video represent an action that is required of political movements to be considered effective. Political movements not only need to raise awareness, they need to provide actions and measures that they are using to gain the public attention and to reach their goals.

In contrast, people believe that a movement is considered to be non-effective if it justifies violence, encourages anti-police, anti-government, and many more. People state that Black Lives Matter Movement is a movement that decreases the safety of police officers and increases the violence within protesting. They believe that supporters think violence is the way to get activists points across and to raise awareness. This argument is invalid. Although, there are some supporters who do rely on violence, this is not the intention of the Black Lives Matter Movement. The movement wants to increase the value of life and increase safety, including those of police officers while also advocating for a social change.

The Black Lives Matter Movement is able to address issues that are present within the African American communities, while also enhancing the responsibilities of being an African American in today’s society. In order for a person to be able to relate to the issues that the movement addresses one must understand the concepts behind the issues. For instance in the article Soul-Blindness, Police Orders and Black Lives Matter, written by Jonathon Havercroft and David Owen, the challenges of being an African American in today’s society is defined. The author states, “Soul blindness is not a failure of acknowledgement in the sense instanced by an unsympathetic response to the suffering of another as a claim on our sympathy. Rather it is a failure to see the suffering of another as making a claim our sympathy of the same kind that our own suffering would do so,” (744). People are unaware and fail to see others or ourselves as human beings. Police orders, soul blindness, and police brutality is a serious issue in society and it needs to be stopped. Justice is another goal of the Black Lives Matter Organization and it includes people who are dominant in some positions and how they spontaneously react to certain members of ethnicity groups. For example, the election of Barack Obama was a huge political turn in history and this event affected the political movement, Black Lives Matter. Many people believe that because the first African American President was elected two continuous presidential terms, blacks were given justice. However, blacks were supported more politically, but this event increased public racism in the United States. The racial tensions that were present before, increased and many crimes that were committed were out of fear. The minorities were a threat to those who were in higher power and Black Lives Matter wanted to gains some type of political power, so voices can be heard. “While some cry out that the protests are undemocratic and uncivilized, this position is one that is rational for those blinded by their comfortable privileged positions,” (Hoffman). African Americans, as minorities, are not able to rely on people who are elected in office to represent them due to the political system and how it works. African Americans are not protected by the systems, they have no privilege, and therefore they need alternatives. This protests provide these alternatives because they are able to express their beliefs and policies peacefully.

For a political movement to be considered effective and successful, a movement must have people who believe in their purpose and are willing to advocate for the motions that they stand upon. Looking back at the Civil Rights Movement, there were many leaders, which included Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr, and many others. They were not the only people who impacted the Civil Rights Movement, there were other people who we may not know the names of, but they impacted the movement in some shape or form. However, in order to be a leader, there needs to be followers who stand behind and agree to certain measures that a leader is advocating. A political movement needs supporters who are willing to help raise awareness in the black populations all across the United States. To be an effective movement, there should be supporters who are able to share the ideas and beliefs that the movement is striving to express. Chloe Melas wrote an article on how the Weeknd, a famous R&B rapper donated $250,000 dollars to the Black Lives Matter Organization. He states “… it is time to stand up for this. We can either sit and watch, or do something about it…” (Melas). The Weeknd is a famous celebrity and him being able to donate money and sharing his proud donation with his fans and others shows that he is a supporter of the Movement. Also, Melas mentions that Beyonce’, Drake and Jay Z have been expressing the movement on social media as well as within their music. These famous celebrities are not shame to show the world that they believe in the goals of the Black Lives Matter Movement and they are not afraid to express their beliefs to their fans, as well as the United States. The idea that many celebrities are supporting this movement gains supporters because of the fans that subscribe to these artists and they want to do just as great as their role models. This affects Black Lives Matter Movement heavily, because it helps them to gain even more supporters which is a beneficial action that enhances the successfulness of this political movement.

Although many supporters are considered to be celebrities, Black Lives Matter Movement relies on social media to expand its political movement. This directs my attention to the portrayals of the Black Lives Matter Movement which are not correct. Many people believe that the movement just wanted to seek attention on social media, but this is untrue. The movement used its advantages of technology and social media to present opportunities for their supporters. These opportunities led to the development of many protests that have occurred all across the United States, which have also expanded to other Third World Countries. The meaning of the trending hashtag, gained many disapprovals as it expanded throughout the world. Janell Hobson wrote a book which included what it is meant to be of African descent and how it affects everyday life. “When we say Black Lives Matter, we are talking about the ways in which Black people are deprived of our basic human rights and dignity,” (Hobson 25). This quote shows the true meaning behind the hashtag and what exactly it means to Black lives. In response to #BlackLivesMatter, many people responded with #PoliceLivesMatter, #HispanicLivesMatter, and one that upsets the Black crowd the most, #AllLivesMatter. These sayings erases Black lives, as well as Black contribution to these conversations. It kills the inspiration of Blacks finding potential to create power big enough for a social change. Hobson states, “#BlackLivesMatter doesn’t mean that your life isn’t important—it means that Black lives, which are seen without value within white supremacy, are important to your liberation,” (Hobson 26). All lives do matter, but using #AllLivesMatter in context to #BlackLivesMatter is not giving credit to where it was originated. It makes the slogan useless and it depreciates the value of the political movement.

In conclusion, the Black Lives Matter Movement is considered to be effective because it appeals to a large group of people, particularly an ethnicity, it has supporters and it has goals that they are able to achieve them. The political movement has expanded over time and it continues to grow day by day. The movement started out small, but now people are able to easily join and express their own beliefs. “While there is no way to know exactly how large the movement has become, the organization has branched out with chapters in 31 cities and held rallies, boycotts, and other actions across the United States…” (Sidner). The organization is willing to gain more followers and they are relying on social media to help spread this movement all around the world. The trending hashtag that is used commonly is #BlackLivesMatter, which has a deeper meaning than just three words. The organization continues to express that they are raising awareness within the black communities, but they are not a supporter of violence. The political movement has a desire to be successful and they are aiming to be a Civil Rights Movement type of change which breaks the cycle of violence and silence.
