4.12 Black Lives Matter Movement

Origins of Black Lives Matter

Black Lives Matter (BLM) began in 2013 after George Zimmerman was acquitted in the killing of Trayvon Martin. Activists Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi created the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter, which grew into a decentralized movement addressing police brutality, racial profiling, and systemic racism against Black Americans.

Growth and mass mobilization

BLM expanded after deaths like Michael Brown (Ferguson, 2014) and Eric Garner, sparking nationwide protests. The 2020 killing of George Floyd triggered the largest protest movement in U.S. history, drawing global attention to police reform, mass incarceration, and calls to defund the police, reflecting continuity with earlier civil rights activism.

Structure, debates, and legacy

Unlike centralized movements led by figures such as MLK, BLM uses a decentralized, leaderless structure emphasizing grassroots organizing and social media. Debates continue over its tactics, goals, and relationship to earlier movements. It has influenced policy discussions, sparked backlash, and reshaped conversations on race, policing, and justice in America.

Key terms

Black Lives Matter (BLM)

A movement founded in 2013 to fight police brutality and systemic racism against Black Americans.

Founders of BLM

Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi created #BlackLivesMatter in 2013.

Trayvon Martin

Teenager killed by George Zimmerman in 2012; Zimmerman's acquittal sparked BLM's founding.

George Floyd's death (2020)

Killed by police in Minneapolis; sparked the largest protest movement in U.S. history.

Decentralized leadership

BLM's organizing model relying on grassroots activism and social media rather than one central leader.

Try an AP-style question

The Black Lives Matter movement began in 2013 after…

1. passage of the Civil Rights Act
2. the acquittal in Trayvon Martin's killing
3. passage of the Voting Rights Act
4. Barack Obama's first election