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[Skip navigation](https://www.aclu.org/news/racial-justice/how-black-lives-matter-changed-way-americans-fight#content) [Back to News & Commentary](https://www.aclu.org/news/) # How Black Lives Matter Changed the Way Americans Fight for Freedom   [Frank Leon Roberts](https://www.aclu.org/bios/frank-leon-roberts), activist, writer, and creator of The Black Lives Matter Syllabus **Share This Page** July 13, 2018 **UPDATE: *Please see a message from the author at the bottom of this article.*** Freedom fighters around the globe commemorate July 13 as the day that three Black women helped give birth to a movement. In the five short years since \#Black LivesMatter arrived on the scene — thanks to the creative genius of Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometti — the push for Black liberation from state-inflicted violence has evolved into one of the most influential social movements of the post-civil rights era. Black Lives Matter has always been more of a human rights movement rather than a civil rights movement. BLM's focus has been less about changing specific laws and more about fighting for a fundamental reordering of society wherein Black lives are free from systematic dehumanization. Still, the movement’s measurable impact on the political and legal landscape is undeniable. What gets referred to as “the Black Lives Matter movement” is, in actuality, the collective labor of a wide range of Black liberation organizations, each which their own distinct histories. These organizations include groups like the Black Youth Project 100, the Dream Defenders, Assata’s Daughters, the St. Louis Action council, Millennial Activists United, and the Organization for Black Struggle, to name just a few. Collectively, since 2013, these organizers have effected significant change locally and nationally, including the ousting of high-profile corrupt prosecutors. In Chicago, the labor of groups such as BYP100 and Assata’s Daughters, among others, led [Anita Alvarez](http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/crime/2016/03/the_prosecutors_in_the_tamir_rice_and_laquan_mcdonald_cases_lose_their_primary.html) — who had inexplicably failed to charge police officers who [shot at least 68 people](https://www.thedailybeast.com/anita-alvarez-chicagos-top-prosecutor-cleared-killer-cops-68-times) to death — to lose her re-election bid for Cook County prosecutor. And in Florida, groups like The Dream Defenders and others helped end [Angela Corey](https://mic.com/articles/153095/florida-prosecutor-angela-corey-just-lost-her-re-election-bid-in-a-blowout#.DwpymM60z)’s reign as a state attorney. Corey remains infamous for failing to convict Trayvon Martin’s killer George Zimmerman while prosecuting Marissa Alexander, a Black woman who didn’t hurt anyone when firing a warning shot at her abusive ex-husband. [Podcast: Hear Patrisse Cullors on the Evolution of Black Lives Matter](https://www.aclu.org/podcast/patrisse-cullors-lifetime-activism-and-founding-black-lives-matter-ep-4) The BLM movement’s work certainly doesn’t stop there. Students on the ground in Missouri, as part of the \#ConcernedStudent1950 movement, helped lead to the [resignation of the University of Missouri president](https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/10/us/university-of-missouri-system-president-resigns.html) over his failure to deal with racism on campus. BLM compelled Democrats to [restructure their national platform](https://www.vox.com/2016/7/26/12291274/democratic-convention-police-violence-mothers-of-the-movement) to include issues such as criminal justice reform, and the movement contributed to the election of Black leftist organizers to public office, such as activist [Chokwe Lumumba](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/sep/11/revolutionary-not-a-liberal-radical-black-mayor-mississippi-chokwe-lumumba) to mayor of Jackson, Mississippi. The BLM movement’s unrelenting work on the issue of police corruption, helped incite the release of four unprecedented U.S. Department of Justice [reports](https://www.mhpbooks.com/out-today-federal-reports-on-police-killings/) that confirm the widespread presence of police corruption in Baltimore, Chicago, Ferguson, and Cleveland. Moreover, the Movement for Black Lives’ publication of a watershed multi-agenda [policy platform](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/black-lives-matter-releases-policy-agenda-n620966) — authored by over 50 black-centered organizations — laid bare the expansive policy goals of the movement. The fact that these accomplishments have happened so quickly is an extraordinary achievement in and of itself. Moreover, the broader cultural impact of BLM as a movement has been immeasurably expansive. BLM will forever be remembered as the movement responsible for popularizing what has now become an [indispensable tool](https://www.wired.com/2015/10/how-black-lives-matter-uses-social-media-to-fight-the-power/) in 21st-century organizing efforts: the phenomenon that scholars refer to as “mediated mobilization.” By using the tools of social media, BLM was the first U.S. social movement in history to successfully use the internet as a mass mobilization device. The recent successes of movements, such as \#MeToo, \#NeverAgain, and \#TimesUp, would be inconceivable had it not been for the groundwork that \#BlackLivesMatter laid. Many have suggested, erroneously, that the BLM movement has [“quieted” down](https://www.reddit.com/r/MeanJokes/comments/8mzy24/the_black_lives_matter_movement_has_been_quiet/) in the age of Trump. Nothing could be further from the truth. If anything the opposite is true: BLM is stronger, larger, and more global now than ever before. The success of initiatives such as Alicia Garza’s [Black Census Project](https://www.citylab.com/life/2018/04/the-case-for-a-black-census/556829/) — the largest national survey focusing on U.S. black lives in over 150 years — and Patrisse Cullor’s launch of the grassroots effort [Dignity and Power Now](http://dignityandpowernow.org/) in support of incarcerated people, both exemplify the BLM movement’s continued impact, particularly in local communities. The idea that BLM is in a [“decline” stage](https://www.buzzfeed.com/darrensands/what-happened-to-black-lives-matter?utm_term=.gv2ZDyeggE#.mkLn3NDQQg) is false. Instead, what is true is that American mainstream media has been much less willing to actually cover the concerns of the BLM in part because it has been consumed by the daily catastrophes of the Trump presidency. Nonetheless, it would be a mistake to assume that BLM is “dwindling” away simply because the cameras are no longer present. The revolution is still happening — it is just not being televised. All throughout the country, BLM organizers are at work in their local communities feverishly fighting for change and relentlessly speaking truth to power. For instance, The Dream Defenders in Florida just released their visionary project “The Freedom Papers,” and BYP100 just celebrated its five-year anniversary. Ironically, many of the debates that have come to define the age of Trump, such as the immigration debate, are arguably indirectly influenced by BLM. A notable example: Recently, some congressional Democrats have called for the [abolition of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement](https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/democrats-ready-abolish-ice-legislation/2018/07/10/37b420d0-8478-11e8-8553-a3ce89036c78_story.html?utm_term=.7d920d761efd), which has been violating the rights of undocumented immigrants. What has been missing in much of the mainstream coverage of the ICE debate is an acknowledgment of how the democratic left’s [radicalization](https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/7/9/17548062/abolish-ice-democrats-immigration-plan) would not have been possible without the efforts of Black radical grassroots social movements, such as BLM. Indeed, long before congressional Democrats dared to call for the abolition of ICE, \#blacklivesmatter activists pioneered [the call for an end of modern policing in America](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjIEZf8Skx4). The language of “abolition” comes directly from the work of grassroots activists, such as those in the Black Lives Matter Global Network. Their work helped to revive a long black radical tradition of engaging the rhetoric of abolitionism. We literally would not even be using the word “abolition” — let alone embracing it as a framework — had it not been for the labor of BLM activists. The fact that Democrats are gradually calling for the abolition of ICE is a testimony to the continued impact of BLM as a social movement. As we reflect on five years of BLM, we would do well to consider the myriad ways that \#blacklivesmatter has influenced our contemporary moment and given us a framework for imagining what democracy in action really looks like. Whether it be transforming how we talk about police violence or transforming how we talk about “abolitionism,” the BLM movement has succeeded in transforming how Americans talk about, think about, and organize for freedom. *Frank Leon Roberts is the founder of the Black Lives Matter Syllabus and teaches* *at New York University.* **A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:** An earlier version of this essay inadvertently conflated two important distinctions: Black Lives Matter, the organization, vs. Black Lives Matter, the movement. Black Lives Matter, the organization, is a global decentralized network with over 30 chapters across the world. Black Lives Matter, the movement, is a broad conceptual umbrella that refers to the important work of a wide range of Black liberation organizations. Sometimes referred to as “the Movement for Black Lives,” the achievements of the Black Lives Matter movement would not be possible had it not been for the collective efforts of groups such as Black Youth Project 100, the Dream Defenders, Assata’s Daughters, the St. Louis Action council, Millennial Activists United, and the Organization for Black Struggle, to name just a few. This essay is an attempt to celebrate the movement without attributing the movement’s “achievements” solely to Black Lives Matter, the organization. ## Learn More About the Issues on This Page - [Racial Justice](https://www.aclu.org/issues/racial-justice) - [Race and Criminal Justice](https://www.aclu.org/issues/racial-justice/race-and-criminal-justice) ## Related Content - News & Commentary Mar 2026  Racial Justice ### Pioneering Legal Advocate Pauli Murray Set the Blueprint for ACLU’s Racial Justice and Gender Equality Activism Today From dismantling ‘Jane Crow’ laws to advancing the rights of protesters, Pauli Murray’s legacy has paved the way for litigation, advocacy, and organizing. **By:** Areej Qadeer, Ollie Henry [Pioneering Legal Advocate Pauli Murray Set The Blueprint For Aclu’s Racial Justice And Gender Equality Activism Today. Explore News & Commentary.](https://www.aclu.org/news/racial-justice/pioneering-legal-advocate-pauli-murray-set-the-blueprint-for-aclus-racial-justice-and-gender-equality-activism-today) - Press Release Feb 2026  Racial Justice ### Department of Education Backs Down on Unlawful Directive Targeting Educational Equity CONCORD, N.H. – In a victory for academic freedom and education equity, the U.S. Department of Education conceded the end of its February 14, 2025, “Dear Colleague” directive that sought to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts in schools and higher education institutions nationwide. Upon the U.S.’s concession that the directive and subsequent certification requirement are vacated – meaning they are formally nullified – the district court issued a final ruling today, permanently invalidating the directive and preventing the government from enforcing, relying on, or reviving it. As a result, the challenged guidance is no longer in effect and cannot be enforced against anyone, anywhere nationwide. “This ruling affirms what educators and communities have long known: celebrating the full existence of every person and sharing the truth about our history is essential,” said Sharif El-Mekki, CEO at The Center for Black Educator Development. “Today’s decision protects educators’ livelihoods and their responsibility to teach honestly. At a time when many communities are facing severe teacher shortages, this signals that teachers can enter and stay in the profession, bringing their full selves to the classroom and fostering inclusive environments that prepare students for the future. “Across the country, educators do everything in their power to support every student, so each feels safe, seen, and is prepared for the future. Donald Trump and Linda McMahon tried to use politically motivated attacks and vague directives to stifle speech and erase essential teaching and learning in our schools and universities. The courts rejected that attack on public education. While Trump and McMahon want to ban diversity, equity, and inclusion, educators know these values are at the core of our nation. Diversity is our uniqueness and our strength. Equity means every student gets what they need, when they need it, and in the way that serves them best. And inclusion means all students are seen, valued, respected, and have access to opportunities and support,” said Becky Pringle, president at the National Education Association. "The Trump administration’s unlawful Dear Colleague Letter and certification requirement have now been vacated and abandoned, underscoring how badly Trump and McMahon overreached in their attempt to interfere with curriculum and instruction. Educators, parents, and community leaders will continue to organize, mobilize, and take action to protect our students and their futures." In an earlier ruling in the case, District Court Judge Landya McCafferty previously found that the directive’s “isolated characterizations of unlawful DEI” conflicted with the term’s meaning, stating that DEI is generally understood as fostering “a group culture of equitable and inclusive treatment.” The court further held that plaintiffs were likely to succeed in showing that the directive was vague, viewpoint discriminatory, and unlawfully imposed new legal obligations for educators and schools. “This ruling ensures that educators can engage in scholarship and teach history, literature, and other subjects where race, gender, and the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion appear, without fear of arbitrary or discriminatory enforcement, said Sarah Hinger, deputy director of the ACLU Racial Justice Program. “It affirms that educators must be free to teach and that students have a right to a full and honest education that reflects the diversity of their communities and prepares them to participate in our democracy.” "We are deeply grateful to the courageous NEA-New Hampshire member educators who stood up for their students and their profession by participating in this lawsuit. Their actions and the rulings from courts on this issue reaffirm that every student deserves the opportunity to learn in a school where they are valued, seen, and supported for who they are, not erased by political agendas. And their leadership sends a clear message that educators, not politicians, belong at the center of decisions about teaching and learning. We will continue to fight alongside our members for schools that serve all students,” said NEA-New Hampshire President Megan Tuttle. Gilles Bissonnette, legal director of the ACLU of New Hampshire, said, “Today is a victory for academic freedom, the free speech rights of educators, and for New Hampshire students who have a right to an inclusive education free from censorship. Every student, both in the Granite State and across the country, deserves to feel seen, heard, and connected in school – and that can't happen when classroom censorship laws and policies are allowed to stand." The lawsuit was filed last year by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of New Hampshire and the ACLU of Massachusetts on behalf of the National Education Association (NEA), and the National Education Association–New Hampshire. The Center for Black Educator Development as well as several New Hampshire School Districts later joined the case as plaintiffs. **Court Case:** National Education Association et al. v. US Department of Education et al **Affiliates:** New Hampshire, Massachusetts [Department Of Education Backs Down On Unlawful Directive Targeting Educational Equity. Explore Press Release.](https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/department-of-education-backs-down-on-unlawful-directive-targeting-educational-equity) - Iowa Supreme Court Feb 2026  Racial Justice ### In re Ezra L. Totton Scholarship This case asks whether, in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s holding in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. Harvard College, a university may refuse to administer a privately funded scholarship set aside for Black students majoring in the physical sciences and redirect those funds to first-generation students instead. The district court denied the University’s petition to do so, and the case is now on appeal before the Iowa Supreme Court. The Court’s decision could have significant implications for other private scholarships that address the lasting effects of segregation. **Status:** Ongoing [In Re Ezra L. Totton Scholarship. Explore Case.](https://www.aclu.org/cases/in-re-ezra-l-totton-scholarship) - News & Commentary Jan 2026  Racial Justice ### Your Questions Answered: Where We Are on AI Regulation, and Where We Go From Here From protecting your privacy to ensuring new technology accounts for inclusivity, ACLU experts explain what’s at stake in the AI policy sphere and the steps advocates and lawmakers can take to regulate AI **By:** Amelia Quezada, Ricardo Mimbela [Your Questions Answered: Where We Are On Ai Regulation, And Where We Go From Here. Explore News & Commentary.](https://www.aclu.org/news/racial-justice/your-questions-answered-where-we-are-on-ai-regulation-and-where-we-go-from-here)

, activist, writer, and creator of The Black Lives Matter Syllabus July 13, 2018 **UPDATE: *Please see a message from the author at the bottom of this article.*** Freedom fighters around the globe commemorate July 13 as the day that three Black women helped give birth to a movement. In the five short years since \#Black LivesMatter arrived on the scene — thanks to the creative genius of Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometti — the push for Black liberation from state-inflicted violence has evolved into one of the most influential social movements of the post-civil rights era. Black Lives Matter has always been more of a human rights movement rather than a civil rights movement. BLM's focus has been less about changing specific laws and more about fighting for a fundamental reordering of society wherein Black lives are free from systematic dehumanization. Still, the movement’s measurable impact on the political and legal landscape is undeniable. What gets referred to as “the Black Lives Matter movement” is, in actuality, the collective labor of a wide range of Black liberation organizations, each which their own distinct histories. These organizations include groups like the Black Youth Project 100, the Dream Defenders, Assata’s Daughters, the St. Louis Action council, Millennial Activists United, and the Organization for Black Struggle, to name just a few. Collectively, since 2013, these organizers have effected significant change locally and nationally, including the ousting of high-profile corrupt prosecutors. In Chicago, the labor of groups such as BYP100 and Assata’s Daughters, among others, led [Anita Alvarez](http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/crime/2016/03/the_prosecutors_in_the_tamir_rice_and_laquan_mcdonald_cases_lose_their_primary.html) — who had inexplicably failed to charge police officers who [shot at least 68 people](https://www.thedailybeast.com/anita-alvarez-chicagos-top-prosecutor-cleared-killer-cops-68-times) to death — to lose her re-election bid for Cook County prosecutor. And in Florida, groups like The Dream Defenders and others helped end [Angela Corey](https://mic.com/articles/153095/florida-prosecutor-angela-corey-just-lost-her-re-election-bid-in-a-blowout#.DwpymM60z)’s reign as a state attorney. Corey remains infamous for failing to convict Trayvon Martin’s killer George Zimmerman while prosecuting Marissa Alexander, a Black woman who didn’t hurt anyone when firing a warning shot at her abusive ex-husband. [Podcast: Hear Patrisse Cullors on the Evolution of Black Lives Matter](https://www.aclu.org/podcast/patrisse-cullors-lifetime-activism-and-founding-black-lives-matter-ep-4) The BLM movement’s work certainly doesn’t stop there. Students on the ground in Missouri, as part of the \#ConcernedStudent1950 movement, helped lead to the [resignation of the University of Missouri president](https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/10/us/university-of-missouri-system-president-resigns.html) over his failure to deal with racism on campus. BLM compelled Democrats to [restructure their national platform](https://www.vox.com/2016/7/26/12291274/democratic-convention-police-violence-mothers-of-the-movement) to include issues such as criminal justice reform, and the movement contributed to the election of Black leftist organizers to public office, such as activist [Chokwe Lumumba](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/sep/11/revolutionary-not-a-liberal-radical-black-mayor-mississippi-chokwe-lumumba) to mayor of Jackson, Mississippi. The BLM movement’s unrelenting work on the issue of police corruption, helped incite the release of four unprecedented U.S. Department of Justice [reports](https://www.mhpbooks.com/out-today-federal-reports-on-police-killings/) that confirm the widespread presence of police corruption in Baltimore, Chicago, Ferguson, and Cleveland. Moreover, the Movement for Black Lives’ publication of a watershed multi-agenda [policy platform](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/black-lives-matter-releases-policy-agenda-n620966) — authored by over 50 black-centered organizations — laid bare the expansive policy goals of the movement. The fact that these accomplishments have happened so quickly is an extraordinary achievement in and of itself. Moreover, the broader cultural impact of BLM as a movement has been immeasurably expansive. BLM will forever be remembered as the movement responsible for popularizing what has now become an [indispensable tool](https://www.wired.com/2015/10/how-black-lives-matter-uses-social-media-to-fight-the-power/) in 21st-century organizing efforts: the phenomenon that scholars refer to as “mediated mobilization.” By using the tools of social media, BLM was the first U.S. social movement in history to successfully use the internet as a mass mobilization device. The recent successes of movements, such as \#MeToo, \#NeverAgain, and \#TimesUp, would be inconceivable had it not been for the groundwork that \#BlackLivesMatter laid. Many have suggested, erroneously, that the BLM movement has [“quieted” down](https://www.reddit.com/r/MeanJokes/comments/8mzy24/the_black_lives_matter_movement_has_been_quiet/) in the age of Trump. Nothing could be further from the truth. If anything the opposite is true: BLM is stronger, larger, and more global now than ever before. The success of initiatives such as Alicia Garza’s [Black Census Project](https://www.citylab.com/life/2018/04/the-case-for-a-black-census/556829/) — the largest national survey focusing on U.S. black lives in over 150 years — and Patrisse Cullor’s launch of the grassroots effort [Dignity and Power Now](http://dignityandpowernow.org/) in support of incarcerated people, both exemplify the BLM movement’s continued impact, particularly in local communities. The idea that BLM is in a [“decline” stage](https://www.buzzfeed.com/darrensands/what-happened-to-black-lives-matter?utm_term=.gv2ZDyeggE#.mkLn3NDQQg) is false. Instead, what is true is that American mainstream media has been much less willing to actually cover the concerns of the BLM in part because it has been consumed by the daily catastrophes of the Trump presidency. Nonetheless, it would be a mistake to assume that BLM is “dwindling” away simply because the cameras are no longer present. The revolution is still happening — it is just not being televised. All throughout the country, BLM organizers are at work in their local communities feverishly fighting for change and relentlessly speaking truth to power. For instance, The Dream Defenders in Florida just released their visionary project “The Freedom Papers,” and BYP100 just celebrated its five-year anniversary. Ironically, many of the debates that have come to define the age of Trump, such as the immigration debate, are arguably indirectly influenced by BLM. A notable example: Recently, some congressional Democrats have called for the [abolition of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement](https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/democrats-ready-abolish-ice-legislation/2018/07/10/37b420d0-8478-11e8-8553-a3ce89036c78_story.html?utm_term=.7d920d761efd), which has been violating the rights of undocumented immigrants. What has been missing in much of the mainstream coverage of the ICE debate is an acknowledgment of how the democratic left’s [radicalization](https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/7/9/17548062/abolish-ice-democrats-immigration-plan) would not have been possible without the efforts of Black radical grassroots social movements, such as BLM. Indeed, long before congressional Democrats dared to call for the abolition of ICE, \#blacklivesmatter activists pioneered [the call for an end of modern policing in America](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjIEZf8Skx4). The language of “abolition” comes directly from the work of grassroots activists, such as those in the Black Lives Matter Global Network. Their work helped to revive a long black radical tradition of engaging the rhetoric of abolitionism. We literally would not even be using the word “abolition” — let alone embracing it as a framework — had it not been for the labor of BLM activists. The fact that Democrats are gradually calling for the abolition of ICE is a testimony to the continued impact of BLM as a social movement. As we reflect on five years of BLM, we would do well to consider the myriad ways that \#blacklivesmatter has influenced our contemporary moment and given us a framework for imagining what democracy in action really looks like. Whether it be transforming how we talk about police violence or transforming how we talk about “abolitionism,” the BLM movement has succeeded in transforming how Americans talk about, think about, and organize for freedom. *Frank Leon Roberts is the founder of the Black Lives Matter Syllabus and teaches* *at New York University.* **A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:** An earlier version of this essay inadvertently conflated two important distinctions: Black Lives Matter, the organization, vs. Black Lives Matter, the movement. Black Lives Matter, the organization, is a global decentralized network with over 30 chapters across the world. Black Lives Matter, the movement, is a broad conceptual umbrella that refers to the important work of a wide range of Black liberation organizations. Sometimes referred to as “the Movement for Black Lives,” the achievements of the Black Lives Matter movement would not be possible had it not been for the collective efforts of groups such as Black Youth Project 100, the Dream Defenders, Assata’s Daughters, the St. Louis Action council, Millennial Activists United, and the Organization for Black Struggle, to name just a few. This essay is an attempt to celebrate the movement without attributing the movement’s “achievements” solely to Black Lives Matter, the organization.