THE WOMEN OF
After Dr. King led the successful Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 60s, America declared itself a post-racist, "color-blind" society. The passage of the Civil Rights Act symbolized a paradigm shift from an institutionally racist society to one of equality. A shift of this magnitude does not happen overnight, but the US thought it was the exception. The belief in this ideal is very dangerous, and has damaged the struggle for black liberation. Because the US prematurely claimed the title of "post-racist," efforts against such discrimination were met with confusion. American society had determined these actions unnecessary as to rid itself of an institutional problem without properly addressing it.
Since the issue of racial equality persists, the discourse on the topic shifted from organizing action to placing the blame on the oppressed, rather than the oppressors. The inequality is now blamed on "laziness," "responsibility," or the "culture of poverty"; this blame only serves to perpetuate institutional racism.
Lately, the conversation has been shifting back to organizing, acting, and liberation. We have a rising movement comparable to the Civil Rights Movement, but the question is: how did this all start?
It a lesser-known fact that both #BlackLivesMatter and the Millions March NYC were both created by young black women. Most of the actions in Ferguson and across the country have been organized and led by women, which begs the questions: why is this not publicized, and why are marches largely focus on the deaths of black men. It is not that there should not be a focus on those
tragic deaths, but that women are not nearly as represented. #BlackLivesMatter does not only refer to heterosexual black cis men, but also the lives of all black people.
Although #BlackLivesMatter has gained a ton of traction after the death of Mike Brown, it actually began after another tragedy: the death of Trayvon Martin. It was created as an online platform where people could learn more about the struggle for black liberation, and how they could help.
Alicia Garza, a co-founder of #BlackLivesMatter, explained the meaning of the movement in an article on the Feminist Wire, writing, " Black Lives Matter affirms the lives of Black queer and trans folks, disabled folks, Black-undocumented folks, folks with records, women and all Black lives along the gender spectrum. It centers those that have been marginalized within Black liberation movements. It is a tactic to (re)build the Black liberation movement." Thus, the inclusion of women has always been a basis of #BlackLivesMatter; yet, as the movement spreads, Garza's words continue to be lost in translation.
There are aspects of Garza's definition of #BlackLivesMatter that has always terrified conservative America: intersectionality. This is the simple notion that the struggles of the oppressed are all connected; for example, the struggle for black liberation and the struggle for women's equality are related. The struggles for all oppressed groups are threaded together, and therefore can be fought together. Those in support of the current capitalist paradigm, which is dominated by heterosexual cisgendered white men, fear the rise of the oppressed since they are much stronger in number and influence and can fight together to liberate themselves.