Black Lives Matter

**Black Lives Matter (BLM)** be bong kɛŋɛ kpɛŋɛ paala be ka zoroŋɛɛle, nɔŋ nɔ daŋ ka yɛlɛ zɔgɔlɛɛ nɛ discrimination be racial inequality a nyɛ kpɛŋɛ baŋɛ. N nyɛ kpɛŋɛɛɛ a be da ti police brutality nɛ zɔgɔlɛɛ kɛɛ kpɛŋɛ baŋɛ nyɛŋ police be ba die. BLM boɔro naalɛ la Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner nɛ Rekia Boyd diee. Movement la BLM da la ka yelŋmaa waala kyɛng kyɛlɛ be yɛlɛ kpɛŋɛɛ baŋɛ kpɛ bɛɛ boɔro poɔyɛ, nɛ da di legislative chaŋgɛ. BLM yɛla decentralised, nɛ a boɔro yɛ social media hashtags, slogans, local group yelɛ e.g. Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation. Nɔɔ kpɛla America nɛ Canada yɛla a zɔgɔ 40 chapters (2021 laa). BLM naŋ la kpɛ nɔŋ a trademark.

2013 laa, Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors nɛ Ayọ Tometi zɔgɔ lɛ hashtag #BlackLivesMatter ka social media so, naa George Zimmerman la bɛɛ fo Trayvon Martin nɛ lɔgɔ pɔge. 2014 laa, Michael Brown lɛ die ka Ferguson, Missouri, nɛ Eric Garner la New York be daŋ la ma BLM na kpɛ national attention. 2015 laa, BLM activists boɔro ka U.S. 2016 elections.

2020 laa, George Floyd lɛ die be Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin yɛ la BLM zɔgɔ international attention. America laa nyɛ 15 to 26 million people da tuori BLM protests; n be da boɔro nyɛ la America laa kaŋa maŋa protest movement. Zɔŋŋɛ la opposition be bɛ yel BLM yɛ violent, kaŋa nyɛɛ protests yɛ la calm.

BLM laa zɔŋ popularity yɛ la sɛnɛ nɛ nyɛɛ. 2020 laa, America laa nyɛ 67% adults yɛ la support, ka 2023 laa yɛɛ 51%. Nɔŋ nɔ kaŋa bɛɛ nyɛ racial minorities yɛ la support: African Americans (81%), Hispanics (61%), Asians (63%).

Structure nɛ Organisation

Black Lives Matter yɛ decentralised nɛ grassroots movement. N kpɛ hashtag, slogan, social movement, political group, nɛ confederation of groups. Leaders boɔro la ka local organising yɛ la paala, nɛ yɛ waala kpɛ centralized leader. Activist DeRay McKesson yelɛ: “Black Lives Matter kpɛle la bɛɛ nyɛ zɔŋ nɛ yɛ Black Lives Matter kpɛlɛlɛ, nɛ yɛ ka kpɛŋɛɛ kpɛ.”

2013 laa, Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza nɛ Ayọ Tometi zɔgɔ BLM Network. A yɛ la online platform ka bɛɛ nyɛ zɔŋ da kpɛ guiding principles. Chapters yɛ la autonomous, ka a boɔ zɔŋ la kaŋa central structure. Garza yelɛ n be ka polɛsing kpɛ la bɛɛ nyɛ zɔŋ be BLM. As of 2021, nyɛ 40 chapters yɛla la U.S. nɛ Canada.

Decentralisation yɛ da la confusion. Media kpɛ activists yɛ la confuse: a BLM boɔ actions kpɛ statements from any group lɛ. Matt Pearce la Los Angeles Times yelɛ: “Black Lives Matter kpɛ slogan, kpɛ protest title, kpɛ any action nyɛ racial injustice.”

Broader Movement

Ka Black Lives Matter laa zɔŋ groups yɛ la ka Movement for Black Lives (M4BL). M4BL kpɛ nyɛ 50+ groups be kpɛ kpɛŋɛ baŋɛ: BLM Network, National Conference of Black Lawyers, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, etc. M4BL boɔro ka policy bill BREATHE Act: di money la police ka toɔ community services. A kpɛ changes ka emergency response system.

July 24, 2015 laa, movement be zɔgɔ meeting la Cleveland State University. 1,500 to 2,000 activists kpɛ di strategies la police accountability. July 26 laa, bɛ zɔgɔ United Front. M4BL kpɛ goals nɛ demands la black communities’ liberation.

2016 laa, Ford Foundation yelɛ a di $100 million be M4BL. Open Society Foundations yɛɛ $33 million. 2016 laa, M4BL boɔro la ka decarceration, reparations, and justice la housing, education, prison nɛ food. A kpɛ end to surveillance, investment in education, nɛ community control of police.

Black Lives Matter boɔrɔ yɛlɛ ka yɛre nɛ UK a bie kyɛrɛ 2016. Gɛrɛgɛrɛ zɔŋ zɔŋ be nyɛle kpɛmma yɛlɛ ka police-yɛre ni waa ba kyɛre Manchester a July 11. Zɔŋ yɛlɛ ka Black Lives Matter UK (UKBLM) yɛ naŋ na kyɛre Brexit referendum ka nyɔge June 23, a Patrisse Cullors, a BLM activist fanɛ America, na yɛre boɔrɔ yɛlɛ. A August 4, 2016, BLM kpɛmma be gbɛrɛ London City Airport ni be kɔɔrɛ England. Ba na saa kpɛmma be daŋ daŋ sɛgɛ be puobu wɔɔ runway ka ba yɛre zuori. Pɔge bɛɛ 9 ba na police yɛ ba bɛ kpɛ. BLM yɛlɛ ba yɛ ka bie ka yɛŋa Birmingham ni Nottingham. UK kpɛmma ba kpɛ kyɛrɛ Mark Duggan kpɛkpɛre bɛ faa zaa a bie 5.

A bie kyɛrɛ 2016, tabloids newspapers ba yɛrɛ stories sɛ ba pɛ la ba nyɔge BLM kpɛmma bɛɛ zuori ni ba dɔɔɣe ba. Ba deɛ, movement naa yɛle anonymity. A June 25, 2017, BLM kpɛmma be yɛ kpɛmma nɛ Stratford, London, ka Edson Da Costa, a kaŋ na wa zɛbɛ wɔ police domɔ. Kpɛmma da be kpɛɛrɛ kpɛ la. Patrick Vernon yɛle ka BLM yɛlɛ nɛ UK a bie kyɛrɛ 2016 na kɛre daaŋ la. A bie 2018 zaa, ka Grenfell Tower fire ni Windrush scandal yɛ la, BLM yɛle kpɛ na kpɛɛ neɛ ba dɔɔgɔ kaŋ ba kyɛre black British pɔge zɔŋ, zɔŋɛɛ pɔge naŋ kpɛre. A December 2019, Black Lives Matter UK yɛle yɛ kɔɔperɛɛshɛŋ nɛ Wretched of the Earth ka ba nɔŋ la bɛne global indigenous pɔge ni pɔge zaŋ ba yɛrɛ racism ka ba baale nɛ climate justice movement.

A June 7, 2020, kpɛmma yɛ la nɛ U.S. Embassy, London

A bie 2020, kpɛmma yɛ ba nɛ UK ka ba kpɛ na BLM movement fanɛ U.S. Ka police wa George Floyd a yɛ zɛbɛ, kpɛmma ba yɛ la nɛ London: Trafalgar Square a May 31, Hyde Park a June 3, Parliament Square a June 6, ni U.S. Embassy a June 7. Manchester, Bristol ni Cardiff kpɛmma ba yɛ la zaa. UK kpɛmma ba kpɛ la solidarity nɛ U.S. kpɛmma, ni ba yɛ la gombo pɔge zaŋ police yɛrɛ yɛ ba wa wɔ UK, ba yɛ slogans, ba pɔ la signs, ni ba yɛ la social media posts nɛ pɔge neɛ Julian Cole, Belly Mujinga, Nuno Cardoso, ni Sarah Reed.

A June 7, kpɛmma yɛ la zaa nɛ towns ni cities. Nɛ BLM kpɛmma a yɛ la nɛ Bristol, pɔge be kyi Edward Colston statue, a yɛ politician, philanthropist ni slave trader nɛ 1600s-1700s. Ba zɔɔ statue, ba yɛ nɔŋ wɔɔrɛ, ni ba pɔ la Bristol Harbour. Home Secretary Priti Patel yɛle ka "Sa hooliganism deɛ yɛ da kpɛrɛ kɔntɔlɛ." Nɛ London, Winston Churchill statue yɛ la graffiti zaa: ba yɛ spray paint wɔ name nɛ, ni ba yɛle "was a racist." Protester bɛɛ na pɔ la Union Jack flag a yɛ la nɛ Cenotaph a yɛ Memorial ka Britain's war dead. Sa yaga zaa, kpɛmma yɛ la violence nɛ police. Police pɔge 49 ba yɛ injury ka kpɛmma pɔ ba yɛ bottles ni fireworks wɔ ba. A weekend zaa, police yɛ kpɛɛ 135 kpɛmma. Prime Minister Boris Johnson yɛle ka pɔge be yɛ attack wɔ public property anaa police, ni ba yɛ pɔge ba wɔ hurt, police ba yɛ kpɛ wa, ba yɛ kpɛ nɔŋ ni ba kpɛrɛ BLM goal ba yɛre zuori.

Leeds’ Millennium Square kpɛmma a yɛ la June 14, 2020 yɛle kpɛ ne coalition: ‘Black Voices Matter’, a Black Lives Matter Leeds yɛ wa zɔŋ. Kpɛmma bɛɛ yɛ la nɛ Woodhouse Moor a June 21, yɛle kpɛ ne Black Lives Matter Leeds zaa.

A June 28, Black Lives Matter UK yɛ kpɛ criticism sɛ ba yɛ tweets nɛ Israel, ba yɛle ka “mainstream British politics yɛ zuori la critique Zionism.” Premier League a na yɛ BLM logo wɔ shirts zaa a 2019–20 season, yɛle ka pɔge be yɛ hijack BLM goal yɛ kpɛrɛ unacceptable. A summer 2020, ba kpɛ bɛɛ donɛɛshɛn, Black Lives Matter UK yɛle organise ba system. A September 2020, ba yɛle bɔɔ BLM UK naŋ “Black Liberation Movement UK,” ni ba yɛ la register kpɛ Community Benefit Society. Na ba kpɛ la Black Lives Matter zaa wɔ global cooperatives. A January 2021, group naa yɛle distribute ba fund zɔŋ nɛ black-led ni anti-racist organisations wɔ UK.

BLM activist zɔŋ, Charles Gordon ni Sasha Johnson, yɛle “Taking The Initiative Party (TTIP)” wɔ summer 2020 ni ba yɛ la apply ka ba yɛ political party wɔ Electoral Commission. Nɛyɛlɛ, BLM UK yɛle ka “BLM UK deɛ ba nɔ la yɛ party. Saa pɔge anaa group deɛ ba yɛ ba.”

A September 2021, British businessman ni philanthropist Ken Olisa yɛle wɔ Channel 4 ka Elizabeth II ni British royal family yɛ BLM supporters. BLM UK spokesperson yɛle ka: “Ba yɛɛ zaŋ ka Queen yɛ BLM supporter. Naa ba zaa yɛle yɛne yɛre kpɛ. Baale ka yɛ le fight ka yɛ bɔ White supremacy. Nɛyɛlɛ, actions yɛ kpɛ wa words. Queen yɛ la throne yɛ colonial loot. Ka ba nyɔ la gɔɔld ni diamonds ba kpɛ Commonwealth, ni ba yɛ la reparations, sa words deɛ yɛ naŋ da kpɛ la sɔgɛ.”

A October 2021, The Guardian ni The Times yɛ stories ka covert police unit nɛ South Wales yɛle ka ba pɛ la recruit BLM protester ka ba yɛ informant ka ba nyɔ la information nɛ far-right pɔge be yɛ BLM kpɛmma supporter. A February 2022, Swansea chapter nɛ BLM yɛle ka ba na gbɛɛ kpɛ ka police yɛle ka ba recruit ba, ni ba kpɛ threats yɛ physical ni mental health nɛ ba kpɛmma.

A July 2024, Black Lives Matter UK Festival of Collective Liberation yɛ la nɛ Friends House, London, ni kpɛrɛ zɔŋgɛ activist ni supporters bɛɛ 600. 

## Sommo Yizie