Black Lives Matter: The Origin and the Background of the Movement

When society is unequally treated, it gives way to other social conflicts. Sometimes these social inequalities can be analyzed through social conflict theory. The social inequality in society that I chose to talk about is the topic about is the ongoing topic of Black Lives Matter movement. We can see how this inequality takes the form of social stratification of caste and class. This issue has divided in the country. The United States was built by immigrants and is known as “the melting pot,” and as a result we live in a diverse nation. However, due to racial diversity, racism has also ensued. With non-stop immigration it has become clear that some officers have become sensitive to this issue. Furthermore, the effects of immigration have cut across the economic, social, and political spheres. Racially marginalized groups have been forced to stand up and fight for their rights, including movements like Black Lives Matter. The Black Lives Matter movement has been advocating for the rights of African-Americans in regard to violence and racism. 

The origin and concept of Black Lives Matter diversity highlights the various aspects of the human population. These could typically be based on ethnicity, spirituality, gender, body size, ability or social standings. While differences should be celebrated and approached with an open-mind, they often cause division. Racism arises when one ethnic group is perceived to be more superior and as such, discriminates or depicts prejudice towards other races that they consider to be minorities. For example, hatred towards individuals because of their origin or skin color is considered as racially divisive. The pertinent issue of racism conceptualized the movement known as Black Lives Matter. The Black Lives Matter campaign started in 2013 on social media by repeated use of the hashtag, Black Lives Matter following George Zimmerman's acquittal who had been accused of shooting an African-American teen named Trayvon Martin (Garza, 2014). The movements’ campaign became recognized nationally for its demonstrations. This was followed by the deaths of Mike Brown and Erick Garner in 2014 who were both of African- American origin (Garza, 2014). Individuals from the African-American background continued with protests leading to unrests in Ferguson. Since then, participants in the Black Lives Matter campaign have demonstrated against police actions that had led to numerous

Race defined through the social science lenses. Societies have a very different meaning of race. Each country looks at race. Differently, someone described as black in the US could be considered white in Brazil. Race and racial identity are fluid; it depends on how someone perceives themselves and the experiences they are living. These experiences can make them feel that they identify with another race. Race through natural sciences is the break down of the human genome. On a cellular level, natural sciences can define where a person is from, but not who they identify within society. Race through humanities is about the culture and language that individuals are brought up with, that recognize them to specific groups.