Black Lives Matter is Here to Stay

In this creatively written and well researched article, Vivian Adeyemo writes about why Black Lives Matter is here to stay.

As the lockdown in the UK eases and life returns to relative normality, it is safe to say that 2020 will be defined by two events. The Coronavirus global Pandemic and the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement.

The BLM movement has gained significant momentum following the horrific murder of African American, George Floyd by a white American police officer, Derek Chauvin, in broad daylight.

The BLM movement of this year, is undoubtedly the largest civil rights movement since the 1960s.

It has shook the world in unparalleled proportions, with people around the world protesting in solidarity against racial injustice and structural racism.

Celebrities across the globe including those from the Nigerian diaspora such as Actors’ John Boyega and David Oyelowo, expressed their outrage and grief via social media.

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Many of our favourite Nigerian Afrobeat stars, including Davido and Tiwa Savage, ‘blacked out’ their social media profiles on 2 June in solidarity for ‘Blackout Tuesday’.

We’ve watched on TV as protesters in Bristol, UK, brought down the statue of slave trader, Edward Coulston. British Nigerian historian, David Olusoga, in his article in the Guardian, linked this event with the need for a change in the education system and for black history to be made a core part of the national curriculum.

We’ve seen sport stars, including British Premier League footballers ‘take the knee’ which was popularised by American football player Colin Kaepernick in 2016.

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Kaepernick, famously knelt during the US national anthem before playing for the San Francisco 49ers against San Diego Chargers. This was in a powerful protest against police brutality and solidarity for BLM.

BLM is an organised movement which originated in the United States. The movement advocates for non-violent civil disobedience in protest against incidents of police brutality against African American people.

The movement typically advocates against police violence towards black people. It also advocates for various other policy changes considered to be related to black liberation.

In July 2013, the movement began with the use of the hashtag  #BlackLivesMatter on social media. This was after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting of African-American teen Trayvon Martin in February 2012.

Ever since, there has been some major incidents involving police brutality against black people in the United States, as the following timeline outlines:

17 July 2014: Eric Garner

A New York police officer wrestled Eric Garner to the ground, on suspicion of illegally selling cigarettes. While in a choke hold, Mr Garner uttered the words “I can’t breathe” 11 times. Eric died as a consequence.

9 August 2014: Michael Brown

A police officer, in Ferguson, Missouri killed Michael Brown, 18, whilst responding to reports that; Brown, had stolen a box of cigars. There were no prosecutions after this case and the officer resigned.

22 November 2014: Tamir Rice

A police officer shot dead Tamir Rice, a boy of 12, in Cleveland, Ohio. This followed reports of a suspected juvenile male, pointing a gun that was “probably fake” at passers by.

Police confirmed that the gun in question was a toy gun following Rice’s death, and there was no prosecution. However, the police officer involved was sacked three years later for lying on his job application form.

4 April 2015: Walter Scott

A white police officer shot Walter Scott in the back five times. The officer was later fired and eventually sentenced to 20 years in prison.

The police officer had pulled over Mr Scott for having a defective light on his car in South Carolina. Mr Scott ran away from the police officer after a brief scuffle.

5 July 2016: Alton Sterling

Alton Sterling’s death led to days of protests in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Police officers murdered Mr Sterling after police responded to reports of a disturbance outside a shop.

The incident was caught on mobile phone footage and spread online and the officers involved did not face criminal charges. But one was dismissed and the other suspended from the police.

6 July 2016: Philando Castile

Philando Castile was killed while out driving with his girlfriend in St Paul, Minnesota. The police officers pulled over Castile during a routine check and he told the officers that he was licensed to carry a weapon, and had one in his possession.

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A police officer shot Philando as he was reaching for his licence, according to his girlfriend who live-streamed the encounter on Facebook. The officer involved in this case was also cleared of murder charges.

18 March 2018: Stephon Clark

Stephon Clark died after being shot at least seven times in Sacramento, California, by police who were investigating a break-in. The district attorney said that the police had not committed a crime. The officers said they feared for their lives believing Mr Clark was armed, and the release of a police video of the incident sparked major protests in the city.

13 March 2020: Breonna Taylor

Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency medical technician was shot eight times when officers raided her apartment in Louisville, Kentucky. The police were executing a search warrant as part of a drugs raid.

No drugs were ever found and Louisville police claimed that they returned fire, after one officer was shot and wounded in the incident.

The family has filed a lawsuit, which says that Ms Taylor’s partner fired in self-defence because the police did not identify themselves with Ms Taylor’s partner believing they were being burgled.

One police officer has since been fired, while two others were placed on administrative leave.

25 May 2020: George Floyd

On the 25th of May, 2020; George Floyd died after being arrested by police and he was subsequently killed in broad daylight on the streets of Minneapolis. George was held down by police officers, one of whom was named Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Mr Floyd’s neck. He pleaded that he couldn’t breathe.

Derek had been charged with second degree murder and manslaughter. The three other officers involved, were also charged with aiding and abetting murder.

Aftermath

At the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, the personal effect and trauma of this event affected me deeply. As a mother of two young black boys; it was imperative that I had an open and a frank conversation with my sons.

I had to explain to them what they were witnessing on the news and in turn, I had to educate them on the ideology of racism.

I personally felt in some ways, that I had ‘stolen’ a part of their innocence. My husband and I had somewhat shielded them from the reality of racism, even though; my oldest son, knew a bit about it as he was taught about the civil rights movement of the 1960’s at school.

Furthermore, as an avid football fan – he was becoming increasingly aware of the constant racial abuse black footballers suffer on and off the pitch.

He had no knowledge of the complexities and nuances of structural racism and bias in society. This, unsurprisingly for a boy of his age. My youngest, however was completely innocent.

Unfortunately, incidents of police brutality have not stopped there. This year, on the 12th of June; Rayshard Brooks, 27, was shot dead as he fled officers in a restaurant car park in Atlanta.

Atlanta police chief resigned and one of the officers involved was fired. And so police brutality continues……

Data and Facts

History and published data however makes it clear that structural racism and racial injustice is not exclusively prevalent in America.

Over here in the UK, racial discrimination is a part of life in British society as clearly highlighted below:

• In the UK education system; black Caribbean pupils, are nearly 3 times as likely to be permanently excluded compared to white British pupils.

• In the UK criminal justice system; black people are 9 times more likely to be stopped and searched by the police than white people.

• Black women in the healthcare system are five times more likely than white women to die during childbirth.

• Regarding employment, black people face higher rates of unemployment after graduation and higher rates of work instability.

Furthermore, there have been incidents of police brutality against black people. On 16 July, this year, a police officer put his knee on a suspect’s neck during an arrest. Mirroring George Floyd’s case.

Legacy

As we move into the new normal following the lockdown, it is important to note that the BLM movement has not lost its momentum across the world.

It is clear that there needs to be real action and structural change, if there is ever going to to be an improvement in the prospects and outcomes of black people’s lived experiences around the world.

As a writer myself; perhaps the most enduring legacy of the movement is that for the first time, there are three black women – all, of Nigerian descent, either topping the UK book charts or receiving prestigious book awards for their work.

Reni Eddo Lodge, became the first black British author to take the number one spot in the UK’s book charts. Bernardine Evaristo, winner of the 2019 Booker Prize, became the first black women to top the fiction paperback charts.

Oyinkan Braithwaite became the first black woman to win The Crime and Thriller Book of the Year at the 2020 British Book Awards.

These achievements follow in the wake of the increased popularity from the general public for books on race and books from black writers. It also comes in the wake of criticism of UK publishers for the treatment of black authors.

This arguably demonstrates the power of the BLM movement which is definitely here to stay.

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