A-Allyship

To be an ally means to take one’s struggle as your own. An ally uplifts unheard voices and uses their privilege to help others. To be an ally, one must be open to unlearning systemic bias that is ingrained into our system. Resource

B-Black lives matter

The black lives matter movement founded on July 13th, 2013. It was founded by Alicia Garzia, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi. This movement was created as a response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s murderer. The goal of this movement is to “eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes.”Resource

C-Crime bill of 1994

Also known as the violent crime control and law enforcement act, the crime bill of 1994 contributed to mass incarceration, criminalization, which continued to impact black and brown communities for generations. This bill established many aspects of the prison system we see today, including mandatory minimum sentencing and the 3 strikes rule. In addition, it allowed 13 year old children to be tried as adults. 9.7 billion dollars were spent on building prisons across the country. The federal prison population has nearly doubled as a result, from 95,034 in 1994 to 164,438 in 2020.

D-Defund the police

Defunding the police is essential to helping the black lives matter movement because police brutality has not stopped; even with police reform, police are still killing black people at the same rates. If we defund the police, we can invest more for teachers and counselors, mental health and restorative services, and community-led harm reduction. Resource

E-Emmett Till

Emmett Till was a 14-year old African-American living in Mississippi who was lynched in 1955, after being wrongly accused of offending a white woman in a grocery store. His murder emphasizes the violence on blacks in the South, and another impact of this were the Greensboro Four (see G).

F-Freedom Riders

To protest the segregation laws in 1961, Freedom Riders participated in freedom rides, which were bus trips through the American South. It drew international attention to the civil rights movement. It was organized by CORE, the Congress of Racial Equality to test the 1960 decision made by the Supreme Court in Boynton v. Virginia that ruled that segregation in transportation facilities was unconstitutional. As a result of the freedom rides, the Interstate Commerce Commission prohibited segregation in transportation terminals by issuing regulations. Resource

G-Greensboro sit-in

The Greesnboro Four were Ezell Blair Jr., David Richmond, Franklin McCain and Joseph McNeil, all African-American Students from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College. They were sparked to action over the brutal murder of Emmett Till. On feb 5, They organized a sit-in at Woolworth’s in downtown Greensboro, where only whites were allowed. When asked to leave, the Greensboro 4 refused to give up their seats. By february 5th, about 300 college students had joined the sit-in, with this making national television. As a result of the sit-ins, dining places across the South were becoming integrated.

H-Harriet Tubman

A leading abolitionist, Harriet Tubman led thousands of slaves to freedom using the Underground Railroad after escaping to the North for freedom in 1849.

I- Intersectionality

Intersectionality is important because it signifies that all humans are complex beings. For example, within a certain issue, such as feminism, there could be underlying problems faced by feminists such as racism. Both women and people of color face overlapping issues of sexism and racism.

J-Juneteenth

Juneteenth is a holiday celebrated on June 19th, and it celebrates the official end of slavery in 1965. Although the Emancipation Proclamation was issued in 1862, slavery in Texas had not been changed. Junteenth marks the day that federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to ensure that all enslaved people were now free.

K-Knowledge

All this knowledge is important, but it’s even more important to use your actions to support BLM and everything it stands for.

L- LA riots

The 1992 LA riots were sparked by the shooting of an African-American girl Latasha Harlins by a Korean store owner and the beating of Rodney King’s by LAPD officers. Tensions between the Asian-American community and the Black community were heightened and intensified the frustration to the criminal justice system. More than 2,000 people were injured, and around 6,000 arsonists and looters were arrested. Resource

M-MLK Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr.(MLK Jr.) was an African-American activist. Known to stand up for the civil rights movement, his most famous speech is called I Have a Dream. His teachings are all about how to Black Americans should defend themselves without violence.

N-NAACP

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People(NAACP) is an organization about civil rights in the US. It was formed in 1909 to give justice to African Americans. (website)

O-Obama

Barack Obama was the first US President that was African-American. He was a member of the Democratic party and served as the 44th president during the years 2009 to 2017.

P-Protests

There have been many protests recently due to George Floyd’s death. The protests are to show others that they do not support the status quo and that they want a change.

Q-Qualified Immunity

Qualified immunity is something all law enforcement officers are granted and holds them to a lower standard of following the law. They can only get in trouble if they violate rights that are “clearly established,” and this protects them from several constitutional violations each year.

R-Redlining

This is an unethical practice in banks, insurance companies,etc. don’t loan out money or insurance to people living in certain neighborhoods. This was discriminatory because many areas that were not given loans were areas where black people lived, putting them at a financial disadvantage.

S-Systemic Racism

Systemic racism is racism that is embedded in our society and its structures. For example, across all age groups, black students are three times more likely to be suspended than white students, even if the violations were similar. Resource

T-Thirteenth Amendment

The 13th Amendment to the US Constitution was passed in 1865 and outlawed slavery for all citizens, with the exception of criminals. This exception was exploited in ways such as criminalizing black people and other people of color so they could no longer vote or get a good job.

U-Unlearning

Unlearning is the process of forgetting something purposely and throwing it away from memory. To get rid of implicit bias and systemic racism, people with privilege have to unlearn their biases.

V-Voting rights act 1965

The Voting Rights Act was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on August 6th, 1965. It banned the use of literacy tests and provided extra support to areas where less than 50 percent of non-white people were registered to vote. This act led to increased voter turnout in the South because of the dismantling of barriers such as literacy tests.

W-War on drugs

The war on drugs was a term coined by President Nixon in 1971 and he declared drugs to be “public enemy number one.” Ronald Reagan used this term to crack down on drug use and led to mass incarceration of nonviolent drug users, from 50,000 in 1980 to 400,000 in 1997. Mandatory minimums were established that led to an unequal increase of African American incarcerations. Resource

X-Malcom X

Malcolm X was a African American activist. He was a leader in the civil rights movement and wanted people like him to defend themself from white aggression. Different from MLK Jr., Malcolm told his fellow black Americans to defend themselves “by any means necessary.” Resource

Y-End the War on Black Youth

Ending the War of Black Youth is one of the policy platforms established by M4BL, which stands for a coalition of groups called Movement for Black Lives. Their demands include decriminalizing youth under 23 years old and removing police and surveillance from schools Resource

Z-Zoot Suit Riots

The Zoot Suit Riots happened during June 3–8, 1943 in Los Angeles, California. It was a series of violent conflicts dealing with US servicemen vs minorities in Los Angeles. This Riot inspired/caused a lot of Black Activists to stand up. Resource