Black Lives Matter

From Reckoning to Backlash, Black Women Reflect on the Stakes of the Moment

In 2020, the killing of George Floyd shocked Americans into action and into the streets by the millions, protesting the unrelenting killing of Black people by police. 

The moment sparked a nascent reckoning in America around systemic racism and institutional inequality—in many cases, with Black women at the center. Already the backbone of our democracy, many were called on to also be a bridge to racial healing.

Five years later, many of these same Black women find themselves at the center of a backlash, confronted with attacks on the diversity, equity and inclusion efforts that were previously championed.

Orwell’s ‘1984’ Is Now—Thanks to Trump’s Playbook of Reversal, Gaslighting and Control

Many have fallen for Trump’s lies—or don’t care about the truth. His cronies hope to acclimatize us, like a frog in warming water, to the atrocities of Trump’s authoritarian regime. If we continue down our current trajectory, I fear we are destined to become the controlled and manipulated society of Orwell’s 1984.

To think clearly, we must challenge their lies and relentlessly, loudly and clearly speak the truth. And we must invest in science, higher education, open debate and critical thinking without fear of penalty.

Social Movements Constrained Trump in His First Term—More Than People Realize

As The New York Times noted not long ago, Trump “had not appeared to be swayed by protests, petitions, hashtag campaigns or other tools of mass dissent.” That’s a common perspective these days. But what if it’s wrong?

In fact, popular resistance in Trump’s first term accomplished more than many observers realize; it’s just that most wins happened outside the spotlight. In my view, the most visible tactics—petitions, hashtags, occasional marches in Washington—had less impact than the quieter work of organizing in communities and workplaces.

Understanding when movements succeeded during Trump’s first term is important for identifying how activists can effectively oppose Trump policy in his second administration.

‘There Is a Lot of Advocacy Underway … We Can’t Retreat’: Demelza Baer on the Legal Fight for Civil Rights

An interview with Demelza Baer, director of public policy at the 62-year-old Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law:

“We’re making plans, discussing litigation strategies and doing outreach. A lot is happening behind the scenes. … I know that this moment feels like one of the most challenging periods of our generation, but this makes our social justice work more meaningful than ever. Everyone in the civil rights and social justice communities is facing attacks, but this is our moment to lean in. We can’t retreat.”

Black Voters Prepare for Backlash Ahead of Election Day

Through her nonprofit Project Say Something, voting rights activist Camille Bennett urged city officials to remove a Confederate monument in front of the local courthouse in Florence. Throughout Trump’s presidency, as support grew across the country to topple and rename Confederate monuments, the former president continued to defend the racist remnants of the past. Organizers like Bennett say they can’t afford another Trump win. “The power belongs to the people,” said Bennett. “If we choose to mobilize and really lift our voices as a nation, we can get a lot done. And that’s the hope that I carry on—no matter what happens, we can’t be afraid.”

“Make no mistake about it, if [Trump] is reelected, this is going to further embolden his supporters to express their racial hostility, their racial grievances, and also continue to further inspire people to engage in hateful tactics,” said Emmitt Riley, president of the National Conference of Black Political Scientists. “Some folks are sick of Trump, but this election is going to really be another test as to whether or not a nation who has lived under four years of chaos is ready to return to that dysfunction and chaos.” 

South Asian Representation Will Not Liberate Us. South Asian Solidarity Will.

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The United States has entered into a cyclone of “historic firsts” for Indian Americans—from the GOP presidential bids of businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, to the whirlwind Democratic nomination of Vice President Kamala Harris.

But these moments of mainstream attention offer a unique opportunity for the American public, and specifically South Asian Americans, to move past celebrating identity politics and to invest in liberation politics.

Harris Chooses Gov. Tim Walz—an Abortion Rights and Public Education Advocate—as Running Mate

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Vice President Kamala Harris selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate for the 2024 election.

Walz, 60, is a former high school teacher and football coach, non-commissioned officer in the Army National Guard, and member of the U.S. House. He was elected as the state’s top executive in 2018 and again in 2022. He is a strong supporter of abortion rights, called to end the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy related to LGBTQ+ people serving in the military in a speech delivered several years prior to its repeal, and has advocated to legalize recreational marijuana. 

The Abolitionist Aesthetics of Patrisse Cullors, Co-Founder of Black Lives Matter

“Imagine if culturally we understood that protecting Black women meant protecting all of us,” said Patrisse Cullors, renowned for her activist work with Black Lives Matter, a global network she co-founded in 2013 with Alicia Garza and Ayo Tometi. “I think that’s what this show means to me.”

The show referenced here, “dedicated to all Black women and femmes around the world,” is the exhibit Between the Warp and Weft: Weaving Shields of Strength and Spirituality—an introduction to Cullors as an artist wielding her protection spell over Black women. The exhibit opens Saturday, June 15, at the Charlie James Gallery in downtown Los Angeles.

The Women of Black Lives Matter

From the Winter 2015 issue of Ms.: Patrisse Cullors, along with Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi, created the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag and organized the Black Lives Matter campaign after the 2012 killing of the unarmed young Floridian Trayvon Martin by a self-appointed vigilante.

“Movement and change take a significant amount of time,” said Cullors. “We are in a state of emergency, [but] things take decades, centuries to change. To unearth those systems––racism, patriarchy, transphobia––takes consistency and perseverance.” 

(For more ground-breaking stories like this, order 50 YEARS OF Ms.: THE BEST OF THE PATHFINDING MAGAZINE THAT IGNITED A REVOLUTION, Alfred A. Knopf—a collection of the most audacious, norm-breaking coverage Ms. has published.)