🕷️ Crawler Inspector

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Direct Parameter Lookup

Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 51 (from laksa135)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa051.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/26/us/black-lives-matter-explainer-trnd\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/26/us/black-lives-matter-explainer-trnd\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/07\/26\/us\/black-lives-matter-explainer-trnd","crawl_time":1775887967,"first_indexed_time":1686688796,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,cnn!www,\/2020\/07\/26\/us\/black-lives-matter-explainer-trnd s443","src_root_hash":"2312100192101524051","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"How Black Lives Matter went from a hashtag to a global rallying cry | CNN","meta_descriptions":["It began as a love letter to Black people in the wake of an unexpected verdict."],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"CNN\n — \nIt began as a love letter to Black people in the wake of an unexpected verdict.\nIt was July 2013 and George Zimmerman was on trial for murder in the killing of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old Black boy who had been walking in his father’s Florida neighborhood. The night the verdict was set to be announced, Alicia Garza and some friends gathered for drinks.\nNone of them thought  Zimmerman would be acquitted on all charges. But that’s what happened. And Garza felt like she’d been punched in the gut, she\ntold MSNBC\n.\nThat night Garza woke up in the middle of the night crying. So she began writing out how she felt, in an emotional Facebook post. She wrote that she continued to be surprised “at how little Black lives matter.”\n“That’s really what Black Lives Matter was for me,” Garza told MSNBC. “And that’s why I said Black people, I love you. I love us. And that our lives matter. And that we matter. And that Black lives matter.”\nThe phrase “Black lives matter” inspired Garza’s friend, Patrisse Cullors, to create a hashtag. Almost instantly, it went viral.\nAd Feedback\n“I wanted it to go viral,” Cullors, who co-founded Black Lives Matter with Garza and Opal Tometi,\ntold CNN.\n“On July 15th, 2013 I said that Alicia and I had created a thing called #BlackLivesMatter and we hope that it will be bigger than we can ever imagine,” Cullors said. “Over the last seven years we’ve developed more infrastructure and we’ve become more organized.”\nMomentum around the movement has grown amid calls for justice following the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.\nThe phrase “Black Lives Matter” is being used now as more than just a hashtag – it’s a rallying cry. At protests, it’s what many demonstrators write on their signs or chant as they march. Online, it’s what many have used to spread the message against police brutality. And globally, it’s being used by many to show solidarity with Black people.\nWhile many believe the movement is more accepted than it once was, others remain skeptical of what it accomplishes and question its impact.\nHere’s what you need to know about the evolution of the movement, and why it matters.\nAd Feedback\nBlack Lives Matter is one of the most well-known organizations fighting for the well-being of Black people.\nStudies show that\nsegregation persists in many American cities\n, leaving majority Black communities behind. BLM’s goal,\naccording to its website\n, is to eradicate anti-Blackness and create a society where Black people are able to thrive in the US.\n“We live in a country built to keep us away from these resources that we need,” said Kailee Scales, managing director of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation.\nScales referenced the data. Police officers are almost four times as likely to use force on Black people than White people. Black people are also jailed\nat a disproportionate rate\n. Black Americans have\nlower access to health care\nand lack the same\naccess to quality education.\n“Folks in the movement have been consistently fighting to reverse that trend, to raise awareness that this is not the way we’re supposed to live,” Scales told CNN.\nSince the hashtag launched, the organization has become more formalized, taken on specific branding and branched out into nationwide chapters – all in an attempt to solidify the group and allow them to create national campaigns while engaging the broader community.\nAd Feedback\nOrganizers put together a website, which led to the development of local chapters of BLM, first in Los Angeles in 2013 and then throughout the country, according to Scales.\nAfter the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, against police brutality in 2014, the organization became more well known. In 2017 it became incorporated as the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, Inc.\nToday the network consists of 13 official chapters in the US, plus three more in Canada,\naccording to the BLM website. Local chapters are semi-autonomous, meaning they “do the work that makes sense” for their communities, Scales said.\nThe structure allows the group to have an impact at all levels – doing work both nationally and locally, she said. Each chapter works a little differently and has different focuses, depending on community needs.\nThe Chicago chapter, for example, focuses more on police accountability, while the Boston chapter does a lot of activity around mutual aid, Scales said.\nIn Los Angeles BLM activists have been at the forefront of the defund police movement, meeting\nwith local politicians\nabout a proposal they call the People’s Budget, which would reallocate funding from the Los Angeles Police Department.\nThe group has called for defunding the police for at least five years, Black Lives Matter Los Angeles co-founder Melina Abdullah told CNN. The most recent push began in May, and at the time the chapter had little support from local politicians.\nAfter George Floyd’s killing, however, the group gained momentum and received some support from a few members of the Los Angeles City Council.\nIn June, after pressure from BLMLA and massive protests, the council unanimously\napproved a measure\nto develop an unarmed model of crisis response that would replace police officers with community-based responders for nonviolent calls.\nFollowing the vote, City Councilmember Herb Wesson Jr., who authored the motion with Council President Nury Martinez, said in a\ntweet\nthat he looks “forward to continuing this work alongside” BLMLA.\nAnd there is more work to be done, Abdullah said.\n“(We) never thought that that (amount) was anywhere near enough,” she told CNN. “But it’s a step forward that we forced.”\nThe different chapters are bound by a set of guiding principles, which work to ground the individual entities.\nBut they also work together. Chapters tend to work across state lines, Abdullah told CNN. When the BLM chapter in South Bend, Indiana, was getting started,\nAbdullah said the group worked closely with BLMLA – specifically comparing notes on the terms of mayors Pete Buttigieg and Eric Garcetti.\nIt’s worth noting that not every protest or demonstration is part of the Black Lives Matter network, as some may be organized by people simply using the movement’s name. And not every person attending a BLM protest is a part of their local BLM chapter.\nThe movement is largely decentralized, with no one besides managing director Scales receiving pay, said Abdullah, who also works as a professor at California State University in Los Angeles.\nChapters tend to have a loose leadership structure, with a focus on on-the-ground organizing – allowing chapters the autonomy to organize in the way they see fit.\nUntil George Floyd’s death, Abdullah said BLMLA had only raised $100,000 in the last seven years, money that it used for “the basic cost of organizing,” things like renting rooms, making copies, printing banners and hiring unarmed security. They also try to provide limited support to families who lose members to police brutality, like aiding with funeral costs, which Abdullah said can sometimes run up to $20,000.\nAnd unless money is earmarked specifically for the local chapters, money donated through the main network goes to the larger global network, Abdullah said. Chapters can ask for a little money from the national organization, but it’s not always a significant amount, she said.\nBut with donations streaming in after Floyd’s death, BLMLA has more money than it has ever had.\n“We’re stepping back to take a minute and process what we should be doing with the newfound money that we’ve never had before,” she said.\n‘All Lives Matter’ and other backlash\nWith more notoriety comes more scrutiny, and the Black Lives Matter movement has experienced its fair share of criticism.\nSome have said while they support the movement’s cause, they are\nnot a fan of its approach\n, contrasting some of the protests today to the peaceful ones of the civil rights movement of the 1960s.\nMany have condemned the more progressive demands of the cause, most notably the call to defund the police, which would instead invest those funds in communities, especially marginalized ones where much of the policing occurs.\nLike Abdullah said, the call to defund the police has been a key priority of the movement for years. But as these calls increase, police unions across the country have dug in\nto protect their own\n– even though the movement has support from organizations\nlike Amnesty International\nand\nvideo evidence\nof officers using excessive force against protesters.\nAnd the notion still faces pushback from people on both sides of the political aisle. President Donald Trump has\ndefended the police\n. Meanwhile, politicians like Gov. Tony Evers of Wisconsin, a Democrat, has said defunding\ngoes too far.\nOthers have called the movement too radical.\nIn Arizona, Rep. Walt Blackman, a Black GOP member of the Arizona Legislature,\nlabeled BLM a “terrorist organization”\nin an interview with Fox News Radio affiliate KFYI. He then\ntold the Arizona Republic in a follow up interview\nthat BLM is an “ideology that goes against the very concepts and precepts of our principles in the United States.”\nCritics have also responded to the phrase “Black Lives Matter” by coining their own slogans, such as “All Lives Matter,” which some argue\nminimizes the current struggle Black people face against systemic racism\n, and “Blue Lives Matter,” referring to the lives of police.\nTrump\npreviously called the words “Black Lives Matter” a “symbol of hate”\nin a\ntweet\ncriticizing New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio for “denigrating” Fifth Avenue in Manhattan\nwith a BLM mural.\nStill, Michael Kazin, who studies social movements at Georgetown University, said it’s surprising that the movement hasn’t received more backlash. He said it’s the first time in history that a movement focused on Black equality has seen this kind of support from White people.\n“Even in the ’60s, with the (March on Washington), polls at the time never had more than 15, 20% support among Whites,” Kazin, who is\nalso the\nco-editor of the democratic-socialist publication Dissent Magazine, told CNN.\nThere’s been an outpouring of support from diverse populations, he said. He used Portland, Oregon, as an example, where federal officers have\nused tear gas and force\nagainst on majority-White protesters.\n“We’re seeing huge crowds in little cities, or even where there’s hardly any Black people,” Kazin said. “That’s new. That didn’t happen in the ’60s, or even in 2013.”\nIt’s been said that\nthis moment feels different\n. It’s bigger, more mainstream. White people are protesting just as much as people of color.\nEven large corporations and brands, which may have been silent in the past, are getting involved.\nLast month NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said “Black Lives Matter”\nin an apology video\n, a far cry from the league’s stance during the 2016-17 season, when Colin Kaepernick became increasingly vocal about police brutality to the chagrin of the league. Kaepernick has\nnot been with a team since\n.\nCompanies like\nPeloton, Disney, Facebook\nand others have spoken up against racial injustice, while the CEO of Netflix donated\n$120 million to historically Black colleges and universities\n.\nTaylor Swift, who previously stayed away from anything remotely controversial, has voiced her support for the BLM movement, and even called for the\nremoval of Confederate monuments\nin Tennessee. Meanwhile, Seth Rogen, Steve Carrell and others have\ndonated to bail funds for protesters.\nProtests across the globe after George Floyd's death\n1 of 37\nWith the rise of social media in the 2010s, images showing police brutality against Black people have reached a much wider audience. Now a whole generation has grown up exposed to the issue of systemic racism.\nOr, as Minneapolis community organizer Shanene Herbert put it, the trauma.\n“They (young people) have experienced trauma,” she\ntold CNN.\n“Seeing your friends, your families and even yourself harassed by the police and killed by the police, it’s traumatic. And they don’t know what to do with that.”\nMore people are demanding change. And BLM has been a big motivator in that shift.\nMary Westbrook, who lives in Philadelphia and participated in the city’s protests in June, told CNN that she felt it was important for her to support the movement.\nWestbrook, who is White, was among a group of demonstrators\nthat was sprayed with tear gas. Afterward, she shared an image of herself on\nTwitter\n, noting her “face and eyes are on fire.”\n“I’ve lived in this city for 16 years,” the 38-year-old told CNN in a Twitter message in June. “I am a children’s librarian at the library right there on the Parkway (which is why I know the area and streets there really well). I see every day what black and other POC are dealing with in this city.”\nIn the last seven years, BLM activists have made their message mainstream, according to Marcia Chatelain, author of “Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America.”\n“There’s been a shift in the public and a willingness to engage with their ideas,” Chatelain, an American studies professor at Georgetown University, told CNN.\nFor example, she said, “people are willing to take a second to understand what defunding the police and prison abolition are all about.”\nWhen asked what she hopes for BLM’s future, co-founder Cullors said she knows the movement will win.\n“I know this because our work is full of love, healing and dignity,” she said. “And we center Black people’s humanity and life over our death and decimation.”\nThe task isn’t an easy one. Kazin, the Georgetown professor, pointed out that the BLM movement is about power – having power to decide how policing will look, or having power to access quality education.\nBLM signs in windows, anti-racist reading lists – all these things are good, Kazin said. But unless they are coupled with a true shift in power and larger political solidarity efforts, little will change.\nStill, people are listening now. And Scales, like Cullors, is optimistic.\n“At this point, we don’t stop,” she said. “We’re not able to relax. It’s now the opportunity to push for the true transformation that we’ve been working for.”\nCNN’s Christina Zdanowicz contributed to this report.","attrs_markdown":"Thank You\\!\n\nYour effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much appreciated.\n\nClose\n\nAd Feedback\n\n[US](https:\/\/cnn.com\/us)\n\n[Crime & Justice](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/crime-and-justice)\n\n[Immigration](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/immigration)\n\n[Education](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/education)\n\n[Transportation](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/transportation)\n\n[Race & Identity](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/race-and-identity)\n\n[More]()\n\n[Crime & Justice](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/crime-and-justice)   [Immigration](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/immigration)   [Education](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/education)   [Transportation](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/transportation)   [Race & Identity](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/race-and-identity)\n\n[Watch](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/subscription\/all-access)   [Listen](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/audio)\n\nSubscribe\n\nSign in\n\nMy Account\n\n- [Settings](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/account\/settings)\n- [Newsletters](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/newsletters)\n- [Topics you follow](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/follow?iid=fw_var-nav)\n- [Sign out](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/07\/26\/us\/black-lives-matter-explainer-trnd)\n\nYour CNN account Sign in to your CNN account\n***\nSign in\n\nMy Account\n\n- [Settings](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/account\/settings)\n- [Newsletters](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/newsletters)\n- [Topics you follow](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/follow?iid=fw_var-nav)\n- [Sign out](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/07\/26\/us\/black-lives-matter-explainer-trnd)\n\nYour CNN account Sign in to your CNN account\n***\n[Listen](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/audio)   [Watch](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/subscription\/all-access)\n***\nEdition\n\n[US](https:\/\/us.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n\n[International](https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n\n[Arabic](https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n\n[Español](https:\/\/cnnespanol.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n\nEdition\n\n- [US](https:\/\/us.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n- [International](https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n- [Arabic](https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n- [Español](https:\/\/cnnespanol.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n***\n[Crime & Justice](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/crime-and-justice)\n\n[Immigration](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/immigration)\n\n[Education](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/education)\n\n[Transportation](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/transportation)\n\n[Race & Identity](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/race-and-identity)\n***\nFollow CNN\n\nDownload the CNN App\n***\n\n- [US](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us)\n  - 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[Subscribe](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/subscription?source=sub_web_footersubnav-link)\n  - [Photos](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/world\/photos)\n  - [Investigations](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/cnn-investigates)\n  - [CNN Profiles](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/profiles)\n  - [CNN Leadership](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/profiles\/cnn-leadership)\n  - [CNN Newsletters](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/newsletters)\n  - [Work for CNN](https:\/\/careers.wbd.com\/cnnjobs)\n***\nDownload the CNN App\n\n**Unable to load video**\n\nPlease try again later.\n\nError occurred while fetching labs\n\nSubtitles\n\n- Off\n\nVideo Ad Feedback\n\nBlack Lives Matter Protests Around the World\n\n03:56   • Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\nBlack Lives Matter Protests Around the World\n\n03:56\n\n# How Black Lives Matter went from a hashtag to a global rallying cry\nBy Leah Asmelash, CNN\n\n11 min read\n\nPublished 2:00 PM EDT, Sun July 26, 2020\n\nLink Copied\\!\n\nCNN\n\n—\n\nIt began as a love letter to Black people in the wake of an unexpected verdict.\n\nIt was July 2013 and George Zimmerman was on trial for murder in the killing of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old Black boy who had been walking in his father’s Florida neighborhood. The night the verdict was set to be announced, Alicia Garza and some friends gathered for drinks.\n\nNone of them thought Zimmerman would be acquitted on all charges. But that’s what happened. And Garza felt like she’d been punched in the gut, she [told MSNBC](https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/think\/opinion\/remembering-why-black-lives-matter-alicia-garza-podcast-transcript-ncna1013901).\n\n[![An aerial photo shows a mural reading \"Black Lives Matter\" painted on a bike path on June 19, 2020, in Atlanta, Georgia. ](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) An aerial photo shows a mural reading \"Black Lives Matter\" painted on a bike path on June 19, 2020, in Atlanta, Georgia. Chandan Khanna\/AFP\/Getty Images Related article Taking 'Black Lives Matter' from slogan to reality](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/07\/16\/opinions\/black-lives-matter-usa-race-irving\/index.html)\n\nThat night Garza woke up in the middle of the night crying. So she began writing out how she felt, in an emotional Facebook post. She wrote that she continued to be surprised “at how little Black lives matter.”\n\n“That’s really what Black Lives Matter was for me,” Garza told MSNBC. “And that’s why I said Black people, I love you. I love us. And that our lives matter. And that we matter. And that Black lives matter.”\n\nThe phrase “Black lives matter” inspired Garza’s friend, Patrisse Cullors, to create a hashtag. Almost instantly, it went viral.\n\nAd Feedback\n\n“I wanted it to go viral,” Cullors, who co-founded Black Lives Matter with Garza and Opal Tometi,told CNN.\n\n“On July 15th, 2013 I said that Alicia and I had created a thing called \\#BlackLivesMatter and we hope that it will be bigger than we can ever imagine,” Cullors said. “Over the last seven years we’ve developed more infrastructure and we’ve become more organized.”\n\nMomentum around the movement has grown amid calls for justice following the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.\n\nThe phrase “Black Lives Matter” is being used now as more than just a hashtag – it’s a rallying cry. At protests, it’s what many demonstrators write on their signs or chant as they march. Online, it’s what many have used to spread the message against police brutality. And globally, it’s being used by many to show solidarity with Black people.\n\nWhile many believe the movement is more accepted than it once was, others remain skeptical of what it accomplishes and question its impact.\n\nHere’s what you need to know about the evolution of the movement, and why it matters.\n\nAd Feedback\n\n## Growth of a movement\nBlack Lives Matter is one of the most well-known organizations fighting for the well-being of Black people.\n\nStudies show that [segregation persists in many American cities](https:\/\/www.epi.org\/publication\/schools-are-still-segregated-and-black-children-are-paying-a-price\/), leaving majority Black communities behind. BLM’s goal, [according to its website](https:\/\/blacklivesmatter.com\/what-we-believe\/), is to eradicate anti-Blackness and create a society where Black people are able to thrive in the US.\n\n“We live in a country built to keep us away from these resources that we need,” said Kailee Scales, managing director of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation.\n\nScales referenced the data. Police officers are almost four times as likely to use force on Black people than White people. Black people are also jailed [at a disproportionate rate](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/06\/08\/us\/us-police-floyd-protests-country-comparisons-intl\/index.html). Black Americans have [lower access to health care](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/04\/07\/us\/coronavirus-black-americans-race\/index.html) and lack the same [access to quality education.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2017\/05\/24\/us\/mississippi-schools-lawsuit-southern-poverty-law\/index.html)\n\n“Folks in the movement have been consistently fighting to reverse that trend, to raise awareness that this is not the way we’re supposed to live,” Scales told CNN.\n\nSince the hashtag launched, the organization has become more formalized, taken on specific branding and branched out into nationwide chapters – all in an attempt to solidify the group and allow them to create national campaigns while engaging the broader community.\n\nAd Feedback\n\nOrganizers put together a website, which led to the development of local chapters of BLM, first in Los Angeles in 2013 and then throughout the country, according to Scales.\n\n![Left to right, co-founders of BLM, Opal Tometi, Alicia Garza and Patrisse Cullors appear onstage during The New York Women's Foundation Celebrating Women Breakfast in 2015.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nLeft to right, co-founders of BLM, Opal Tometi, Alicia Garza and Patrisse Cullors appear onstage during The New York Women's Foundation Celebrating Women Breakfast in 2015.\n\nSlaven Vlasic\/Getty Images\n\nAfter the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, against police brutality in 2014, the organization became more well known. In 2017 it became incorporated as the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, Inc.\n\nToday the network consists of 13 official chapters in the US, plus three more in Canada,according to the BLM website. Local chapters are semi-autonomous, meaning they “do the work that makes sense” for their communities, Scales said.\n\nThe structure allows the group to have an impact at all levels – doing work both nationally and locally, she said. Each chapter works a little differently and has different focuses, depending on community needs.\n\nThe Chicago chapter, for example, focuses more on police accountability, while the Boston chapter does a lot of activity around mutual aid, Scales said.\n\n![Protests in Los Angeles, after the murder of George Floyd.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nProtests in Los Angeles, after the murder of George Floyd.\n\nKyle Grillot\/AFP\/Getty Images\n\nIn Los Angeles BLM activists have been at the forefront of the defund police movement, meeting [with local politicians](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/06\/30\/us\/los-angeles-city-council-approves-measure-nonviolent-response\/index.html) about a proposal they call the People’s Budget, which would reallocate funding from the Los Angeles Police Department.\n\nThe group has called for defunding the police for at least five years, Black Lives Matter Los Angeles co-founder Melina Abdullah told CNN. The most recent push began in May, and at the time the chapter had little support from local politicians.\n\nAfter George Floyd’s killing, however, the group gained momentum and received some support from a few members of the Los Angeles City Council.\n\nIn June, after pressure from BLMLA and massive protests, the council unanimously [approved a measure](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/06\/30\/us\/los-angeles-city-council-approves-measure-nonviolent-response\/index.html) to develop an unarmed model of crisis response that would replace police officers with community-based responders for nonviolent calls.\n\nFollowing the vote, City Councilmember Herb Wesson Jr., who authored the motion with Council President Nury Martinez, said in a [tweet](https:\/\/twitter.com\/HerbJWesson\/status\/1278035223230345216) that he looks “forward to continuing this work alongside” BLMLA.\n\nAnd there is more work to be done, Abdullah said.\n\n“(We) never thought that that (amount) was anywhere near enough,” she told CNN. “But it’s a step forward that we forced.”\n\nThe different chapters are bound by a set of guiding principles, which work to ground the individual entities.\n\nBut they also work together. Chapters tend to work across state lines, Abdullah told CNN. When the BLM chapter in South Bend, Indiana, was getting started,Abdullah said the group worked closely with BLMLA – specifically comparing notes on the terms of mayors Pete Buttigieg and Eric Garcetti.\n\n[![TOPSHOT - A Police officer charges forward as people protest the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis Police in front of the White House in Washington, D.C. on May 31, 2020. - Thousands of National Guard troops patrolled major US cities after five consecutive nights of protests over racism and police brutality that boiled over into arson and looting, sending shock waves through the country. The death Monday of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, at the hands of police in Minneapolis ignited this latest wave of outrage in the US over law enforcement's repeated use of lethal force against African Americans -- this one like others before captured on cellphone video. (Photo by Samuel Corum \/ AFP) (Photo by SAMUEL CORUM\/AFP via Getty Images)](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) TOPSHOT - A Police officer charges forward as people protest the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis Police in front of the White House in Washington, D.C. on May 31, 2020. - Thousands of National Guard troops patrolled major US cities after five consecutive nights of protests over racism and police brutality that boiled over into arson and looting, sending shock waves through the country. The death Monday of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, at the hands of police in Minneapolis ignited this latest wave of outrage in the US over law enforcement's repeated use of lethal force against African Americans -- this one like others before captured on cellphone video. (Photo by Samuel Corum \/ AFP) (Photo by SAMUEL CORUM\/AFP via Getty Images) Samuel Corum\/AFP\/Getty Images Related article There's a growing call to defund the police. Here's what it means](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/06\/06\/us\/what-is-defund-police-trnd\/index.html)\n\nIt’s worth noting that not every protest or demonstration is part of the Black Lives Matter network, as some may be organized by people simply using the movement’s name. And not every person attending a BLM protest is a part of their local BLM chapter.\n\nThe movement is largely decentralized, with no one besides managing director Scales receiving pay, said Abdullah, who also works as a professor at California State University in Los Angeles.\n\nChapters tend to have a loose leadership structure, with a focus on on-the-ground organizing – allowing chapters the autonomy to organize in the way they see fit.\n\nUntil George Floyd’s death, Abdullah said BLMLA had only raised \\$100,000 in the last seven years, money that it used for “the basic cost of organizing,” things like renting rooms, making copies, printing banners and hiring unarmed security. They also try to provide limited support to families who lose members to police brutality, like aiding with funeral costs, which Abdullah said can sometimes run up to \\$20,000.\n\nAnd unless money is earmarked specifically for the local chapters, money donated through the main network goes to the larger global network, Abdullah said. Chapters can ask for a little money from the national organization, but it’s not always a significant amount, she said.\n\nBut with donations streaming in after Floyd’s death, BLMLA has more money than it has ever had.\n\n“We’re stepping back to take a minute and process what we should be doing with the newfound money that we’ve never had before,” she said.\n\n## ‘All Lives Matter’ and other backlash\nWith more notoriety comes more scrutiny, and the Black Lives Matter movement has experienced its fair share of criticism.\n\nSome have said while they support the movement’s cause, they are [not a fan of its approach](https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/posteverything\/wp\/2015\/08\/24\/i-was-a-civil-rights-activist-in-the-1960s-but-its-hard-for-me-to-get-behind-black-lives-matter\/), contrasting some of the protests today to the peaceful ones of the civil rights movement of the 1960s.\n\nMany have condemned the more progressive demands of the cause, most notably the call to defund the police, which would instead invest those funds in communities, especially marginalized ones where much of the policing occurs.\n\n[![Supporters of Black Lives Matter, hold signs during a protest outside the Hall of Justice as they demonstrate against the death of George Floyd, in Los Angeles, California on June 10, 2020. (Photo by Mark RALSTON \/ AFP) (Photo by MARK RALSTON\/AFP via Getty Images)](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Supporters of Black Lives Matter, hold signs during a protest outside the Hall of Justice as they demonstrate against the death of George Floyd, in Los Angeles, California on June 10, 2020. (Photo by Mark RALSTON \/ AFP) (Photo by MARK RALSTON\/AFP via Getty Images) MARK RALSTON\/AFP\/Getty Images Related article Why saying 'All lives matter' misses the big picture](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/06\/23\/opinions\/all-lives-matter-misses-the-big-picture-baker\/index.html)\n\nLike Abdullah said, the call to defund the police has been a key priority of the movement for years. But as these calls increase, police unions across the country have dug in [to protect their own](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/06\/08\/politics\/police-union-reform-protests\/index.html) – even though the movement has support from organizations [like Amnesty International](https:\/\/www.amnesty.org\/en\/latest\/news\/2020\/06\/usa-end-unlawful-police-violence-against-black-lives-matter-protests\/) and [video evidence](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/06\/06\/us\/police-excessive-force-us-protests\/index.html) of officers using excessive force against protesters.\n\nAnd the notion still faces pushback from people on both sides of the political aisle. President Donald Trump has [defended the police](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/06\/16\/politics\/police-reform-order-donald-trump\/index.html). Meanwhile, politicians like Gov. Tony Evers of Wisconsin, a Democrat, has said defunding [goes too far.](https:\/\/www.jsonline.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2020\/06\/04\/defunding-police-departments-goes-too-far-gov-tony-evers-says\/3138029001\/)\n\nOthers have called the movement too radical.\n\nIn Arizona, Rep. Walt Blackman, a Black GOP member of the Arizona Legislature, [labeled BLM a “terrorist organization”](https:\/\/www.iheart.com\/podcast\/960-conservative-circus-w-jame-28823469\/episode\/walt-blackman-on-kathy-hoffman-joining-63428398\/) in an interview with Fox News Radio affiliate KFYI. He then [told the Arizona Republic in a follow up interview](https:\/\/www.azcentral.com\/story\/news\/politics\/arizona\/2020\/06\/05\/black-gop-legislator-criticism-blm-terrorist\/3149272001\/) that BLM is an “ideology that goes against the very concepts and precepts of our principles in the United States.”\n\nCritics have also responded to the phrase “Black Lives Matter” by coining their own slogans, such as “All Lives Matter,” which some argue [minimizes the current struggle Black people face against systemic racism](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/videos\/us\/2020\/07\/08\/all-lives-matter-offensive-problematic-eg-orig.cnn), and “Blue Lives Matter,” referring to the lives of police.\n\nTrump [previously called the words “Black Lives Matter” a “symbol of hate”](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/07\/01\/politics\/donald-trump-black-lives-matter-confederate-race\/index.html) in a [tweet](https:\/\/twitter.com\/realDonaldTrump\/status\/1278324680311681024) criticizing New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio for “denigrating” Fifth Avenue in Manhattanwith a BLM mural.\n\nStill, Michael Kazin, who studies social movements at Georgetown University, said it’s surprising that the movement hasn’t received more backlash. He said it’s the first time in history that a movement focused on Black equality has seen this kind of support from White people.\n\n“Even in the ’60s, with the (March on Washington), polls at the time never had more than 15, 20% support among Whites,” Kazin, who isalso theco-editor of the democratic-socialist publication Dissent Magazine, told CNN.\n\nThere’s been an outpouring of support from diverse populations, he said. He used Portland, Oregon, as an example, where federal officers have [used tear gas and force](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/07\/23\/politics\/justice-department-inspector-general-portland-washington\/index.html) against on majority-White protesters.\n\n“We’re seeing huge crowds in little cities, or even where there’s hardly any Black people,” Kazin said. “That’s new. That didn’t happen in the ’60s, or even in 2013.”\n\n## Why people are rallying behind BLM\nIt’s been said that [this moment feels different](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/06\/12\/us\/protests-rodney-king-freddie-gray-optimism-blake\/index.html). It’s bigger, more mainstream. White people are protesting just as much as people of color.\n\nEven large corporations and brands, which may have been silent in the past, are getting involved.\n\nLast month NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said “Black Lives Matter” [in an apology video](https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2020\/06\/05\/sport\/roger-goodell-responds-nfl-stronger-together-video\/index.html), a far cry from the league’s stance during the 2016-17 season, when Colin Kaepernick became increasingly vocal about police brutality to the chagrin of the league. Kaepernick has [not been with a team since](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/06\/16\/us\/nfl-roger-goodell-colin-kaepernick-spt-trnd\/index.html).\n\nCompanies like [Peloton, Disney, Facebook](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/06\/01\/business\/us-protests-companies-respond-intl-hnk\/index.html) and others have spoken up against racial injustice, while the CEO of Netflix donated [\\$120 million to historically Black colleges and universities](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/06\/17\/business\/netflix-ceo-hbcus-donate-trnd\/index.html).\n\nTaylor Swift, who previously stayed away from anything remotely controversial, has voiced her support for the BLM movement, and even called for the [removal of Confederate monuments](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/06\/13\/us\/taylor-swift-tennessee-racism-trnd\/index.html) in Tennessee. Meanwhile, Seth Rogen, Steve Carrell and others have [donated to bail funds for protesters.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/05\/30\/us\/chrissy-teigen-minneapolis-bail-out-trnd\/index.html)\n\n![Irish protesters rallied outside the US embassy in Dublin, Ireland.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nIrish protesters rallied outside the US embassy in Dublin, Ireland.\n\nBrian Lawless\/PA Images via Reuters\n\n![Protesters gather in Sydney on June 6. Many were threatened with fines and arrests if they protested.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nProtesters gather in Sydney on June 6. Many were threatened with fines and arrests if they protested.\n\nRick Rycroft\/AP\n\n![French police clash with protesters during a Black Lives Matter protest in Paris on Saturday, June 13.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nFrench police clash with protesters during a Black Lives Matter protest in Paris on Saturday, June 13.\n\nAnne-Christine Poujoulat\/AFP\/Getty Images\n\n![Black Lives Matter supporters gather in Trafalgar Square in central London on June 13.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nBlack Lives Matter supporters gather in Trafalgar Square in central London on June 13.\n\nDaniel Leal-Olivas\/AFP\/Getty Images\n\n![People demonstrate against racism during a protest on June 13 in Lausanne, Switzerland.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nPeople demonstrate against racism during a protest on June 13 in Lausanne, Switzerland.\n\nJean-Christophe Bott\/AP\n\n![Protesters throw a statue of Edward Colston into Bristol Harbor in Bristol, England, on June 7. Colston was a \\<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/06\/07\/world\/global-floyd-protests-weekend-intl\/index.html\" target=\"\\_blank\"\\>17th century slave trader.\\<\/a\\>](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nProtesters throw a statue of Edward Colston into Bristol Harbor in Bristol, England, on June 7. Colston was a [17th century slave trader.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/06\/07\/world\/global-floyd-protests-weekend-intl\/index.html)\n\nBen Birchall\/PA\/AP\n\n![Police clash with protesters during a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Westminster, London on Sunday, June 7.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nPolice clash with protesters during a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Westminster, London on Sunday, June 7.\n\nAaron Chown\/AP\n\n![A protester wearing a mask holds a cross with the name of George Floyd during a protest at Avenida Presidente Vargas on June 7, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. ](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nA protester wearing a mask holds a cross with the name of George Floyd during a protest at Avenida Presidente Vargas on June 7, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.\n\nBuda Mendes\/Getty Images\n\n![Protesters march in Rome on June 7.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nProtesters march in Rome on June 7.\n\nGiuseppe Pino Fama\/Pacific Press\/Shutterstock\n\n![A woman wears a mask during a demonstration in Madrid on June 7.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nA woman wears a mask during a demonstration in Madrid on June 7.\n\nGabriel Bouys\/AFP via Getty Images\n\n![A protester holds up a sign at a demonstration in Edinburgh, Scotland, on June 7.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nA protester holds up a sign at a demonstration in Edinburgh, Scotland, on June 7.\n\nAndy Buchanan\/AFP via Getty Images\n\n![Protesters gather at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office building in London on June 7.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nProtesters gather at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office building in London on June 7.\n\nAlberto Pezzali\/AP\n\n![Participants hold signs during a rally outside of the Consulate General of the United States in Hong Kong on June 7.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nParticipants hold signs during a rally outside of the Consulate General of the United States in Hong Kong on June 7.\n\nAnthony Kwan\/Getty Images\n\n![People protest in Lausanne, Switzerland, on June 7.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nPeople protest in Lausanne, Switzerland, on June 7.\n\nFabrice Coffrini\/AFP via Getty Images\n\n![A young protester in Maastricht, Netherlands, on June 7.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nA young protester in Maastricht, Netherlands, on June 7.\n\nPiroschka van de Wouw\/Reuters\n\n![A protester raises her fist during demonstrations in Brussels, Belgium, on June 7.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nA protester raises her fist during demonstrations in Brussels, Belgium, on June 7.\n\nYves Herman\/Reuters\n\n![Demonstrators protest in Holyrood Park in Edinburgh, Scotland, on June 7.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nDemonstrators protest in Holyrood Park in Edinburgh, Scotland, on June 7.\n\nJeff J Mitchell\/Getty Images\n\n![Protesters hold signs denouncing racism during a demonstration in Porto, Portugal, on June 7. ](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nProtesters hold signs denouncing racism during a demonstration in Porto, Portugal, on June 7.\n\nDiogo Baptista\/SOPA Images\/Sipa\/AP\n\n![Demonstrators gather during a Black Lives Matter protest in Manchester, England, on Saturday, June 6.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nDemonstrators gather during a Black Lives Matter protest in Manchester, England, on Saturday, June 6.\n\nPhil Noble\/Reuters\n\n![Aboriginal protesters conduct a traditional smoking ceremony at Town Hall in Sydney, Australia, on June 6.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nAboriginal protesters conduct a traditional smoking ceremony at Town Hall in Sydney, Australia, on June 6.\n\nLisa Maree Williams\/Getty Images\n\n![With the iconic Eiffel Tower in the background, demonstrators gather on the Champs de Mars in Paris on June 6.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nWith the iconic Eiffel Tower in the background, demonstrators gather on the Champs de Mars in Paris on June 6.\n\nFrancois Mori\/AP\n\n![People take part in a Black Lives Matter rally in Cardiff, Wales.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nPeople take part in a Black Lives Matter rally in Cardiff, Wales.\n\nBen Birchall\/PA Images via Reuters\n\n![A man attending a demonstration in Berlin, with the names of victims of police violence written on his face.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nA man attending a demonstration in Berlin, with the names of victims of police violence written on his face.\n\nMarkus Schreiber\/AP\n\n![Hundreds of people attend a rally in Frankfurt, Germany, to honor George Floyd.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nHundreds of people attend a rally in Frankfurt, Germany, to honor George Floyd.\n\nMichael Probst\/AP\n\n![Marchers at a Black Lives Matter protest in Melbourne, Australia, on June 6, were among the tens of thousands of Australians who defied government calls to stay at home, taking to the streets instead to protest](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nMarchers at a Black Lives Matter protest in Melbourne, Australia, on June 6, were among the tens of thousands of Australians who defied government calls to stay at home, taking to the streets instead to protest\n\nWilliam West\/AFP via Getty Images\n\n![People march from the US Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa, towards the President's office.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nPeople march from the US Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa, towards the President's office.\n\nMarco Longari\/AFP via Getty Images\n\n![A woman kneels during a rally in London.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nA woman kneels during a rally in London.\n\nAlberto Pezzali\/AP\n\n![A large crowd demonstrates in Stuttgart, Germany.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nA large crowd demonstrates in Stuttgart, Germany.\n\nChristoph Schmidt\/picture alliance via Getty Images\n\n![Participants shout during a rally in Berlin, while carrying signs that read, \"Their lives mattered.\"](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nParticipants shout during a rally in Berlin, while carrying signs that read, \"Their lives mattered.\"\n\nBritta Pedersen\/picture alliance via Getty Images\n\n![A woman at a solidarity march in Seoul, South Korea, to protest against racism.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nA woman at a solidarity march in Seoul, South Korea, to protest against racism.\n\nAhn Young-joon\/AP\n\n![Protesters kneeling and raising their fists during a rally near the U.S Embassy in Pristina, Kosovo.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nProtesters kneeling and raising their fists during a rally near the U.S Embassy in Pristina, Kosovo.\n\nVisar Kryeziu\/AP\n\n![Protesters demonstrate in Tunis, Tunisia.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nProtesters demonstrate in Tunis, Tunisia.\n\nHassene Dridi\/AP\n\n![Protesters take a knee in Liege, Belgium.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nProtesters take a knee in Liege, Belgium.\n\nBernard Gillet\/Belga Mag\/AFP via Getty Images\n\n![Protesters also took to the streets of Tokyo.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nProtesters also took to the streets of Tokyo.\n\nEugene Hoshiko\/AP\n\n![Thousands of people demonstrate in Cologne, Germany, as the slogans -- and sentiments -- of the American protests for Floyd go global.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nThousands of people demonstrate in Cologne, Germany, as the slogans -- and sentiments -- of the American protests for Floyd go global.\n\nMartin Meissner\/AP\n\n![Demonstrators take a knee in Luton, England.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nDemonstrators take a knee in Luton, England.\n\nPeter Cziborra\/Reuters\n\n![Protesters raise their hands during a rally in Sofia, Bulgaria.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nProtesters raise their hands during a rally in Sofia, Bulgaria.\n\nNikolay Doychinov\/AFP via Getty Images\n\n![Irish protesters rallied outside the US embassy in Dublin, Ireland.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nIrish protesters rallied outside the US embassy in Dublin, Ireland.\n\nBrian Lawless\/PA Images via Reuters\n\n![Protesters gather in Sydney on June 6. Many were threatened with fines and arrests if they protested.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nProtesters gather in Sydney on June 6. Many were threatened with fines and arrests if they protested.\n\nRick Rycroft\/AP\n\n![French police clash with protesters during a Black Lives Matter protest in Paris on Saturday, June 13.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nFrench police clash with protesters during a Black Lives Matter protest in Paris on Saturday, June 13.\n\nAnne-Christine Poujoulat\/AFP\/Getty Images\n\n![Black Lives Matter supporters gather in Trafalgar Square in central London on June 13.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nBlack Lives Matter supporters gather in Trafalgar Square in central London on June 13.\n\nDaniel Leal-Olivas\/AFP\/Getty Images\n##### Protests across the globe after George Floyd's death\n1 of 37\n\nPrev\n\nNext\n\nWith the rise of social media in the 2010s, images showing police brutality against Black people have reached a much wider audience. Now a whole generation has grown up exposed to the issue of systemic racism.\n\nOr, as Minneapolis community organizer Shanene Herbert put it, the trauma.\n\n“They (young people) have experienced trauma,” she [told CNN.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/05\/29\/us\/protesters-anger-george-floyd\/index.html) “Seeing your friends, your families and even yourself harassed by the police and killed by the police, it’s traumatic. And they don’t know what to do with that.”\n\nMore people are demanding change. And BLM has been a big motivator in that shift.\n\nMary Westbrook, who lives in Philadelphia and participated in the city’s protests in June, told CNN that she felt it was important for her to support the movement.\n\n[![02 why i protest bikers RESTRICTED](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Eric Schleicher Related article The three reasons Black Lives Matter marchers refuse to quit](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/07\/24\/us\/black-lives-matter-why-i-march-trnd\/index.html)\n\nWestbrook, who is White, was among a group of demonstratorsthat was sprayed with tear gas. Afterward, she shared an image of herself on [Twitter](https:\/\/twitter.com\/mjwestbrook10\/status\/1267563671653318657), noting her “face and eyes are on fire.”\n\n“I’ve lived in this city for 16 years,” the 38-year-old told CNN in a Twitter message in June. “I am a children’s librarian at the library right there on the Parkway (which is why I know the area and streets there really well). I see every day what black and other POC are dealing with in this city.”\n\nIn the last seven years, BLM activists have made their message mainstream, according to Marcia Chatelain, author of “Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America.”\n\n“There’s been a shift in the public and a willingness to engage with their ideas,” Chatelain, an American studies professor at Georgetown University, told CNN.\n\nFor example, she said, “people are willing to take a second to understand what defunding the police and prison abolition are all about.”\n\n## What the future holds\nWhen asked what she hopes for BLM’s future, co-founder Cullors said she knows the movement will win.\n\n[![Families participate in a children's march in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and national protests against police brutality in June in Brooklyn.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Families participate in a children's march in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and national protests against police brutality in June in Brooklyn. Angela Weiss\/AFP via Getty Images Related article The next Greatest Generation](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/06\/14\/opinions\/black-lives-matter-gen-z-greatest-generation-gergen-cohen\/index.html)\n\n“I know this because our work is full of love, healing and dignity,” she said. “And we center Black people’s humanity and life over our death and decimation.”\n\nThe task isn’t an easy one. Kazin, the Georgetown professor, pointed out that the BLM movement is about power – having power to decide how policing will look, or having power to access quality education.\n\nBLM signs in windows, anti-racist reading lists – all these things are good, Kazin said. But unless they are coupled with a true shift in power and larger political solidarity efforts, little will change.\n\nStill, people are listening now. And Scales, like Cullors, is optimistic.\n\n“At this point, we don’t stop,” she said. “We’re not able to relax. It’s now the opportunity to push for the true transformation that we’ve been working for.”\n\nCNN’s Christina Zdanowicz contributed to this report.\n\nSubscribe\n\nSign in\n\nMy Account\n\n- [Settings](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/account\/settings)\n- [Newsletters](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/newsletters)\n- [Topics you follow](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/follow?iid=fw_var-nav)\n- [Sign out](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/07\/26\/us\/black-lives-matter-explainer-trnd)\n\nYour CNN account Sign in to your CNN account\n***\n[Listen](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/audio)   [Watch](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/watch)\n***\n- [US](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us)\n  - [Crime & Justice](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/crime-and-justice)\n  - [Immigration](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/immigration)\n  - [Education](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/education)\n  - [Transportation](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/transportation)\n  - [Race & Identity](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/race-and-identity)\n- [World](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/world)\n  - [Africa](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/world\/africa)\n  - 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A Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All Rights Reserved.   \n CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.\n\n## Download the CNN app\nScan the QR code to download the CNN app on Google Play.\n\n![Scan the QR code to download the CNN app from Google Play.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/google-play-cnn-app-qr-code.png)\n\n## Download the CNN app\nScan the QR code to download the CNN app from the Apple Store.\n\n![Scan the QR code to download the CNN app from the Apple Store.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/app-store-cnn-app-qr-code.png)\n\n![CNN Logo](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn.svg)\n\n## Legal Terms and Privacy\nBy clicking Agree, you have read and agree to the Terms of Use and agree to the collection and use of your information by cookies and similar technologies, as set forth in our Privacy Policy.\n\nBy clicking \"Agree\", you have read and agree to the [Terms of Use](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/terms) and agree to the collection and use of your information by cookies and similar technologies, as set forth in our [Privacy Policy](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/privacy).\n\n[Agree](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/07\/26\/us\/black-lives-matter-explainer-trnd)","attrs_readable_markdown":"CNN —\n\nIt began as a love letter to Black people in the wake of an unexpected verdict.\n\nIt was July 2013 and George Zimmerman was on trial for murder in the killing of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old Black boy who had been walking in his father’s Florida neighborhood. The night the verdict was set to be announced, Alicia Garza and some friends gathered for drinks.\n\nNone of them thought Zimmerman would be acquitted on all charges. But that’s what happened. And Garza felt like she’d been punched in the gut, she [told MSNBC](https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/think\/opinion\/remembering-why-black-lives-matter-alicia-garza-podcast-transcript-ncna1013901).\n\nThat night Garza woke up in the middle of the night crying. So she began writing out how she felt, in an emotional Facebook post. She wrote that she continued to be surprised “at how little Black lives matter.”\n\n“That’s really what Black Lives Matter was for me,” Garza told MSNBC. “And that’s why I said Black people, I love you. I love us. And that our lives matter. And that we matter. And that Black lives matter.”\n\nThe phrase “Black lives matter” inspired Garza’s friend, Patrisse Cullors, to create a hashtag. Almost instantly, it went viral.\n\nAd Feedback\n\n“I wanted it to go viral,” Cullors, who co-founded Black Lives Matter with Garza and Opal Tometi,told CNN.\n\n“On July 15th, 2013 I said that Alicia and I had created a thing called \\#BlackLivesMatter and we hope that it will be bigger than we can ever imagine,” Cullors said. “Over the last seven years we’ve developed more infrastructure and we’ve become more organized.”\n\nMomentum around the movement has grown amid calls for justice following the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.\n\nThe phrase “Black Lives Matter” is being used now as more than just a hashtag – it’s a rallying cry. At protests, it’s what many demonstrators write on their signs or chant as they march. Online, it’s what many have used to spread the message against police brutality. And globally, it’s being used by many to show solidarity with Black people.\n\nWhile many believe the movement is more accepted than it once was, others remain skeptical of what it accomplishes and question its impact.\n\nHere’s what you need to know about the evolution of the movement, and why it matters.\n\nAd Feedback\n\nBlack Lives Matter is one of the most well-known organizations fighting for the well-being of Black people.\n\nStudies show that [segregation persists in many American cities](https:\/\/www.epi.org\/publication\/schools-are-still-segregated-and-black-children-are-paying-a-price\/), leaving majority Black communities behind. BLM’s goal, [according to its website](https:\/\/blacklivesmatter.com\/what-we-believe\/), is to eradicate anti-Blackness and create a society where Black people are able to thrive in the US.\n\n“We live in a country built to keep us away from these resources that we need,” said Kailee Scales, managing director of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation.\n\nScales referenced the data. Police officers are almost four times as likely to use force on Black people than White people. Black people are also jailed [at a disproportionate rate](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/06\/08\/us\/us-police-floyd-protests-country-comparisons-intl\/index.html). Black Americans have [lower access to health care](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/04\/07\/us\/coronavirus-black-americans-race\/index.html) and lack the same [access to quality education.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2017\/05\/24\/us\/mississippi-schools-lawsuit-southern-poverty-law\/index.html)\n\n“Folks in the movement have been consistently fighting to reverse that trend, to raise awareness that this is not the way we’re supposed to live,” Scales told CNN.\n\nSince the hashtag launched, the organization has become more formalized, taken on specific branding and branched out into nationwide chapters – all in an attempt to solidify the group and allow them to create national campaigns while engaging the broader community.\n\nAd Feedback\n\nOrganizers put together a website, which led to the development of local chapters of BLM, first in Los Angeles in 2013 and then throughout the country, according to Scales.\n\nAfter the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, against police brutality in 2014, the organization became more well known. In 2017 it became incorporated as the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, Inc.\n\nToday the network consists of 13 official chapters in the US, plus three more in Canada,according to the BLM website. Local chapters are semi-autonomous, meaning they “do the work that makes sense” for their communities, Scales said.\n\nThe structure allows the group to have an impact at all levels – doing work both nationally and locally, she said. Each chapter works a little differently and has different focuses, depending on community needs.\n\nThe Chicago chapter, for example, focuses more on police accountability, while the Boston chapter does a lot of activity around mutual aid, Scales said.\n\nIn Los Angeles BLM activists have been at the forefront of the defund police movement, meeting [with local politicians](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/06\/30\/us\/los-angeles-city-council-approves-measure-nonviolent-response\/index.html) about a proposal they call the People’s Budget, which would reallocate funding from the Los Angeles Police Department.\n\nThe group has called for defunding the police for at least five years, Black Lives Matter Los Angeles co-founder Melina Abdullah told CNN. The most recent push began in May, and at the time the chapter had little support from local politicians.\n\nAfter George Floyd’s killing, however, the group gained momentum and received some support from a few members of the Los Angeles City Council.\n\nIn June, after pressure from BLMLA and massive protests, the council unanimously [approved a measure](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/06\/30\/us\/los-angeles-city-council-approves-measure-nonviolent-response\/index.html) to develop an unarmed model of crisis response that would replace police officers with community-based responders for nonviolent calls.\n\nFollowing the vote, City Councilmember Herb Wesson Jr., who authored the motion with Council President Nury Martinez, said in a [tweet](https:\/\/twitter.com\/HerbJWesson\/status\/1278035223230345216) that he looks “forward to continuing this work alongside” BLMLA.\n\nAnd there is more work to be done, Abdullah said.\n\n“(We) never thought that that (amount) was anywhere near enough,” she told CNN. “But it’s a step forward that we forced.”\n\nThe different chapters are bound by a set of guiding principles, which work to ground the individual entities.\n\nBut they also work together. Chapters tend to work across state lines, Abdullah told CNN. When the BLM chapter in South Bend, Indiana, was getting started,Abdullah said the group worked closely with BLMLA – specifically comparing notes on the terms of mayors Pete Buttigieg and Eric Garcetti.\n\nIt’s worth noting that not every protest or demonstration is part of the Black Lives Matter network, as some may be organized by people simply using the movement’s name. And not every person attending a BLM protest is a part of their local BLM chapter.\n\nThe movement is largely decentralized, with no one besides managing director Scales receiving pay, said Abdullah, who also works as a professor at California State University in Los Angeles.\n\nChapters tend to have a loose leadership structure, with a focus on on-the-ground organizing – allowing chapters the autonomy to organize in the way they see fit.\n\nUntil George Floyd’s death, Abdullah said BLMLA had only raised \\$100,000 in the last seven years, money that it used for “the basic cost of organizing,” things like renting rooms, making copies, printing banners and hiring unarmed security. They also try to provide limited support to families who lose members to police brutality, like aiding with funeral costs, which Abdullah said can sometimes run up to \\$20,000.\n\nAnd unless money is earmarked specifically for the local chapters, money donated through the main network goes to the larger global network, Abdullah said. Chapters can ask for a little money from the national organization, but it’s not always a significant amount, she said.\n\nBut with donations streaming in after Floyd’s death, BLMLA has more money than it has ever had.\n\n“We’re stepping back to take a minute and process what we should be doing with the newfound money that we’ve never had before,” she said.\n\n## ‘All Lives Matter’ and other backlash\nWith more notoriety comes more scrutiny, and the Black Lives Matter movement has experienced its fair share of criticism.\n\nSome have said while they support the movement’s cause, they are [not a fan of its approach](https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/posteverything\/wp\/2015\/08\/24\/i-was-a-civil-rights-activist-in-the-1960s-but-its-hard-for-me-to-get-behind-black-lives-matter\/), contrasting some of the protests today to the peaceful ones of the civil rights movement of the 1960s.\n\nMany have condemned the more progressive demands of the cause, most notably the call to defund the police, which would instead invest those funds in communities, especially marginalized ones where much of the policing occurs.\n\nLike Abdullah said, the call to defund the police has been a key priority of the movement for years. But as these calls increase, police unions across the country have dug in [to protect their own](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/06\/08\/politics\/police-union-reform-protests\/index.html) – even though the movement has support from organizations [like Amnesty International](https:\/\/www.amnesty.org\/en\/latest\/news\/2020\/06\/usa-end-unlawful-police-violence-against-black-lives-matter-protests\/) and [video evidence](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/06\/06\/us\/police-excessive-force-us-protests\/index.html) of officers using excessive force against protesters.\n\nAnd the notion still faces pushback from people on both sides of the political aisle. President Donald Trump has [defended the police](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/06\/16\/politics\/police-reform-order-donald-trump\/index.html). Meanwhile, politicians like Gov. Tony Evers of Wisconsin, a Democrat, has said defunding [goes too far.](https:\/\/www.jsonline.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2020\/06\/04\/defunding-police-departments-goes-too-far-gov-tony-evers-says\/3138029001\/)\n\nOthers have called the movement too radical.\n\nIn Arizona, Rep. Walt Blackman, a Black GOP member of the Arizona Legislature, [labeled BLM a “terrorist organization”](https:\/\/www.iheart.com\/podcast\/960-conservative-circus-w-jame-28823469\/episode\/walt-blackman-on-kathy-hoffman-joining-63428398\/) in an interview with Fox News Radio affiliate KFYI. He then [told the Arizona Republic in a follow up interview](https:\/\/www.azcentral.com\/story\/news\/politics\/arizona\/2020\/06\/05\/black-gop-legislator-criticism-blm-terrorist\/3149272001\/) that BLM is an “ideology that goes against the very concepts and precepts of our principles in the United States.”\n\nCritics have also responded to the phrase “Black Lives Matter” by coining their own slogans, such as “All Lives Matter,” which some argue [minimizes the current struggle Black people face against systemic racism](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/videos\/us\/2020\/07\/08\/all-lives-matter-offensive-problematic-eg-orig.cnn), and “Blue Lives Matter,” referring to the lives of police.\n\nTrump [previously called the words “Black Lives Matter” a “symbol of hate”](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/07\/01\/politics\/donald-trump-black-lives-matter-confederate-race\/index.html) in a [tweet](https:\/\/twitter.com\/realDonaldTrump\/status\/1278324680311681024) criticizing New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio for “denigrating” Fifth Avenue in Manhattanwith a BLM mural.\n\nStill, Michael Kazin, who studies social movements at Georgetown University, said it’s surprising that the movement hasn’t received more backlash. He said it’s the first time in history that a movement focused on Black equality has seen this kind of support from White people.\n\n“Even in the ’60s, with the (March on Washington), polls at the time never had more than 15, 20% support among Whites,” Kazin, who isalso theco-editor of the democratic-socialist publication Dissent Magazine, told CNN.\n\nThere’s been an outpouring of support from diverse populations, he said. He used Portland, Oregon, as an example, where federal officers have [used tear gas and force](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/07\/23\/politics\/justice-department-inspector-general-portland-washington\/index.html) against on majority-White protesters.\n\n“We’re seeing huge crowds in little cities, or even where there’s hardly any Black people,” Kazin said. “That’s new. That didn’t happen in the ’60s, or even in 2013.”\n\nIt’s been said that [this moment feels different](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/06\/12\/us\/protests-rodney-king-freddie-gray-optimism-blake\/index.html). It’s bigger, more mainstream. White people are protesting just as much as people of color.\n\nEven large corporations and brands, which may have been silent in the past, are getting involved.\n\nLast month NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said “Black Lives Matter” [in an apology video](https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2020\/06\/05\/sport\/roger-goodell-responds-nfl-stronger-together-video\/index.html), a far cry from the league’s stance during the 2016-17 season, when Colin Kaepernick became increasingly vocal about police brutality to the chagrin of the league. Kaepernick has [not been with a team since](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/06\/16\/us\/nfl-roger-goodell-colin-kaepernick-spt-trnd\/index.html).\n\nCompanies like [Peloton, Disney, Facebook](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/06\/01\/business\/us-protests-companies-respond-intl-hnk\/index.html) and others have spoken up against racial injustice, while the CEO of Netflix donated [\\$120 million to historically Black colleges and universities](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/06\/17\/business\/netflix-ceo-hbcus-donate-trnd\/index.html).\n\nTaylor Swift, who previously stayed away from anything remotely controversial, has voiced her support for the BLM movement, and even called for the [removal of Confederate monuments](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/06\/13\/us\/taylor-swift-tennessee-racism-trnd\/index.html) in Tennessee. Meanwhile, Seth Rogen, Steve Carrell and others have [donated to bail funds for protesters.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/05\/30\/us\/chrissy-teigen-minneapolis-bail-out-trnd\/index.html)\n\n##### Protests across the globe after George Floyd's death\n1 of 37\n\nWith the rise of social media in the 2010s, images showing police brutality against Black people have reached a much wider audience. Now a whole generation has grown up exposed to the issue of systemic racism.\n\nOr, as Minneapolis community organizer Shanene Herbert put it, the trauma.\n\n“They (young people) have experienced trauma,” she [told CNN.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/05\/29\/us\/protesters-anger-george-floyd\/index.html) “Seeing your friends, your families and even yourself harassed by the police and killed by the police, it’s traumatic. And they don’t know what to do with that.”\n\nMore people are demanding change. And BLM has been a big motivator in that shift.\n\nMary Westbrook, who lives in Philadelphia and participated in the city’s protests in June, told CNN that she felt it was important for her to support the movement.\n\nWestbrook, who is White, was among a group of demonstratorsthat was sprayed with tear gas. Afterward, she shared an image of herself on [Twitter](https:\/\/twitter.com\/mjwestbrook10\/status\/1267563671653318657), noting her “face and eyes are on fire.”\n\n“I’ve lived in this city for 16 years,” the 38-year-old told CNN in a Twitter message in June. “I am a children’s librarian at the library right there on the Parkway (which is why I know the area and streets there really well). I see every day what black and other POC are dealing with in this city.”\n\nIn the last seven years, BLM activists have made their message mainstream, according to Marcia Chatelain, author of “Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America.”\n\n“There’s been a shift in the public and a willingness to engage with their ideas,” Chatelain, an American studies professor at Georgetown University, told CNN.\n\nFor example, she said, “people are willing to take a second to understand what defunding the police and prison abolition are all about.”\n\nWhen asked what she hopes for BLM’s future, co-founder Cullors said she knows the movement will win.\n\n“I know this because our work is full of love, healing and dignity,” she said. “And we center Black people’s humanity and life over our death and decimation.”\n\nThe task isn’t an easy one. Kazin, the Georgetown professor, pointed out that the BLM movement is about power – having power to decide how policing will look, or having power to access quality education.\n\nBLM signs in windows, anti-racist reading lists – all these things are good, Kazin said. But unless they are coupled with a true shift in power and larger political solidarity efforts, little will change.\n\nStill, people are listening now. And Scales, like Cullors, is optimistic.\n\n“At this point, we don’t stop,” she said. “We’re not able to relax. It’s now the opportunity to push for the true transformation that we’ve been working for.”\n\nCNN’s Christina Zdanowicz contributed to this report.","meta_canonical":null}

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Boilerpipe Text	CNN — It began as a love letter to Black people in the wake of an unexpected verdict. It was July 2013 and George Zimmerman was on trial for murder in the killing of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old Black boy who had been walking in his father’s Florida neighborhood. The night the verdict was set to be announced, Alicia Garza and some friends gathered for drinks. None of them thought Zimmerman would be acquitted on all charges. But that’s what happened. And Garza felt like she’d been punched in the gut, she told MSNBC . That night Garza woke up in the middle of the night crying. So she began writing out how she felt, in an emotional Facebook post. She wrote that she continued to be surprised “at how little Black lives matter.” “That’s really what Black Lives Matter was for me,” Garza told MSNBC. “And that’s why I said Black people, I love you. I love us. And that our lives matter. And that we matter. And that Black lives matter.” The phrase “Black lives matter” inspired Garza’s friend, Patrisse Cullors, to create a hashtag. Almost instantly, it went viral. Ad Feedback “I wanted it to go viral,” Cullors, who co-founded Black Lives Matter with Garza and Opal Tometi, told CNN. “On July 15th, 2013 I said that Alicia and I had created a thing called #BlackLivesMatter and we hope that it will be bigger than we can ever imagine,” Cullors said. “Over the last seven years we’ve developed more infrastructure and we’ve become more organized.” Momentum around the movement has grown amid calls for justice following the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. The phrase “Black Lives Matter” is being used now as more than just a hashtag – it’s a rallying cry. At protests, it’s what many demonstrators write on their signs or chant as they march. Online, it’s what many have used to spread the message against police brutality. And globally, it’s being used by many to show solidarity with Black people. While many believe the movement is more accepted than it once was, others remain skeptical of what it accomplishes and question its impact. Here’s what you need to know about the evolution of the movement, and why it matters. Ad Feedback Black Lives Matter is one of the most well-known organizations fighting for the well-being of Black people. Studies show that segregation persists in many American cities , leaving majority Black communities behind. BLM’s goal, according to its website , is to eradicate anti-Blackness and create a society where Black people are able to thrive in the US. “We live in a country built to keep us away from these resources that we need,” said Kailee Scales, managing director of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation. Scales referenced the data. Police officers are almost four times as likely to use force on Black people than White people. Black people are also jailed at a disproportionate rate . Black Americans have lower access to health care and lack the same access to quality education. “Folks in the movement have been consistently fighting to reverse that trend, to raise awareness that this is not the way we’re supposed to live,” Scales told CNN. Since the hashtag launched, the organization has become more formalized, taken on specific branding and branched out into nationwide chapters – all in an attempt to solidify the group and allow them to create national campaigns while engaging the broader community. Ad Feedback Organizers put together a website, which led to the development of local chapters of BLM, first in Los Angeles in 2013 and then throughout the country, according to Scales. After the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, against police brutality in 2014, the organization became more well known. In 2017 it became incorporated as the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, Inc. Today the network consists of 13 official chapters in the US, plus three more in Canada, according to the BLM website. Local chapters are semi-autonomous, meaning they “do the work that makes sense” for their communities, Scales said. The structure allows the group to have an impact at all levels – doing work both nationally and locally, she said. Each chapter works a little differently and has different focuses, depending on community needs. The Chicago chapter, for example, focuses more on police accountability, while the Boston chapter does a lot of activity around mutual aid, Scales said. In Los Angeles BLM activists have been at the forefront of the defund police movement, meeting with local politicians about a proposal they call the People’s Budget, which would reallocate funding from the Los Angeles Police Department. The group has called for defunding the police for at least five years, Black Lives Matter Los Angeles co-founder Melina Abdullah told CNN. The most recent push began in May, and at the time the chapter had little support from local politicians. After George Floyd’s killing, however, the group gained momentum and received some support from a few members of the Los Angeles City Council. In June, after pressure from BLMLA and massive protests, the council unanimously approved a measure to develop an unarmed model of crisis response that would replace police officers with community-based responders for nonviolent calls. Following the vote, City Councilmember Herb Wesson Jr., who authored the motion with Council President Nury Martinez, said in a tweet that he looks “forward to continuing this work alongside” BLMLA. And there is more work to be done, Abdullah said. “(We) never thought that that (amount) was anywhere near enough,” she told CNN. “But it’s a step forward that we forced.” The different chapters are bound by a set of guiding principles, which work to ground the individual entities. But they also work together. Chapters tend to work across state lines, Abdullah told CNN. When the BLM chapter in South Bend, Indiana, was getting started, Abdullah said the group worked closely with BLMLA – specifically comparing notes on the terms of mayors Pete Buttigieg and Eric Garcetti. It’s worth noting that not every protest or demonstration is part of the Black Lives Matter network, as some may be organized by people simply using the movement’s name. And not every person attending a BLM protest is a part of their local BLM chapter. The movement is largely decentralized, with no one besides managing director Scales receiving pay, said Abdullah, who also works as a professor at California State University in Los Angeles. Chapters tend to have a loose leadership structure, with a focus on on-the-ground organizing – allowing chapters the autonomy to organize in the way they see fit. Until George Floyd’s death, Abdullah said BLMLA had only raised $100,000 in the last seven years, money that it used for “the basic cost of organizing,” things like renting rooms, making copies, printing banners and hiring unarmed security. They also try to provide limited support to families who lose members to police brutality, like aiding with funeral costs, which Abdullah said can sometimes run up to $20,000. And unless money is earmarked specifically for the local chapters, money donated through the main network goes to the larger global network, Abdullah said. Chapters can ask for a little money from the national organization, but it’s not always a significant amount, she said. But with donations streaming in after Floyd’s death, BLMLA has more money than it has ever had. “We’re stepping back to take a minute and process what we should be doing with the newfound money that we’ve never had before,” she said. ‘All Lives Matter’ and other backlash With more notoriety comes more scrutiny, and the Black Lives Matter movement has experienced its fair share of criticism. Some have said while they support the movement’s cause, they are not a fan of its approach , contrasting some of the protests today to the peaceful ones of the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Many have condemned the more progressive demands of the cause, most notably the call to defund the police, which would instead invest those funds in communities, especially marginalized ones where much of the policing occurs. Like Abdullah said, the call to defund the police has been a key priority of the movement for years. But as these calls increase, police unions across the country have dug in to protect their own – even though the movement has support from organizations like Amnesty International and video evidence of officers using excessive force against protesters. And the notion still faces pushback from people on both sides of the political aisle. President Donald Trump has defended the police . Meanwhile, politicians like Gov. Tony Evers of Wisconsin, a Democrat, has said defunding goes too far. Others have called the movement too radical. In Arizona, Rep. Walt Blackman, a Black GOP member of the Arizona Legislature, labeled BLM a “terrorist organization” in an interview with Fox News Radio affiliate KFYI. He then told the Arizona Republic in a follow up interview that BLM is an “ideology that goes against the very concepts and precepts of our principles in the United States.” Critics have also responded to the phrase “Black Lives Matter” by coining their own slogans, such as “All Lives Matter,” which some argue minimizes the current struggle Black people face against systemic racism , and “Blue Lives Matter,” referring to the lives of police. Trump previously called the words “Black Lives Matter” a “symbol of hate” in a tweet criticizing New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio for “denigrating” Fifth Avenue in Manhattan with a BLM mural. Still, Michael Kazin, who studies social movements at Georgetown University, said it’s surprising that the movement hasn’t received more backlash. He said it’s the first time in history that a movement focused on Black equality has seen this kind of support from White people. “Even in the ’60s, with the (March on Washington), polls at the time never had more than 15, 20% support among Whites,” Kazin, who is also the co-editor of the democratic-socialist publication Dissent Magazine, told CNN. There’s been an outpouring of support from diverse populations, he said. He used Portland, Oregon, as an example, where federal officers have used tear gas and force against on majority-White protesters. “We’re seeing huge crowds in little cities, or even where there’s hardly any Black people,” Kazin said. “That’s new. That didn’t happen in the ’60s, or even in 2013.” It’s been said that this moment feels different . It’s bigger, more mainstream. White people are protesting just as much as people of color. Even large corporations and brands, which may have been silent in the past, are getting involved. Last month NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said “Black Lives Matter” in an apology video , a far cry from the league’s stance during the 2016-17 season, when Colin Kaepernick became increasingly vocal about police brutality to the chagrin of the league. Kaepernick has not been with a team since . Companies like Peloton, Disney, Facebook and others have spoken up against racial injustice, while the CEO of Netflix donated $120 million to historically Black colleges and universities . Taylor Swift, who previously stayed away from anything remotely controversial, has voiced her support for the BLM movement, and even called for the removal of Confederate monuments in Tennessee. Meanwhile, Seth Rogen, Steve Carrell and others have donated to bail funds for protesters. Protests across the globe after George Floyd's death 1 of 37 With the rise of social media in the 2010s, images showing police brutality against Black people have reached a much wider audience. Now a whole generation has grown up exposed to the issue of systemic racism. Or, as Minneapolis community organizer Shanene Herbert put it, the trauma. “They (young people) have experienced trauma,” she told CNN. “Seeing your friends, your families and even yourself harassed by the police and killed by the police, it’s traumatic. And they don’t know what to do with that.” More people are demanding change. And BLM has been a big motivator in that shift. Mary Westbrook, who lives in Philadelphia and participated in the city’s protests in June, told CNN that she felt it was important for her to support the movement. Westbrook, who is White, was among a group of demonstrators that was sprayed with tear gas. Afterward, she shared an image of herself on Twitter , noting her “face and eyes are on fire.” “I’ve lived in this city for 16 years,” the 38-year-old told CNN in a Twitter message in June. “I am a children’s librarian at the library right there on the Parkway (which is why I know the area and streets there really well). I see every day what black and other POC are dealing with in this city.” In the last seven years, BLM activists have made their message mainstream, according to Marcia Chatelain, author of “Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America.” “There’s been a shift in the public and a willingness to engage with their ideas,” Chatelain, an American studies professor at Georgetown University, told CNN. For example, she said, “people are willing to take a second to understand what defunding the police and prison abolition are all about.” When asked what she hopes for BLM’s future, co-founder Cullors said she knows the movement will win. “I know this because our work is full of love, healing and dignity,” she said. “And we center Black people’s humanity and life over our death and decimation.” The task isn’t an easy one. Kazin, the Georgetown professor, pointed out that the BLM movement is about power – having power to decide how policing will look, or having power to access quality education. BLM signs in windows, anti-racist reading lists – all these things are good, Kazin said. But unless they are coupled with a true shift in power and larger political solidarity efforts, little will change. Still, people are listening now. And Scales, like Cullors, is optimistic. “At this point, we don’t stop,” she said. “We’re not able to relax. It’s now the opportunity to push for the true transformation that we’ve been working for.” CNN’s Christina Zdanowicz contributed to this report.
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Error occurred while fetching labs Subtitles - Off Video Ad Feedback Black Lives Matter Protests Around the World 03:56 • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) Black Lives Matter Protests Around the World 03:56 # How Black Lives Matter went from a hashtag to a global rallying cry By Leah Asmelash, CNN 11 min read Published 2:00 PM EDT, Sun July 26, 2020 Link Copied\! CNN — It began as a love letter to Black people in the wake of an unexpected verdict. It was July 2013 and George Zimmerman was on trial for murder in the killing of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old Black boy who had been walking in his father’s Florida neighborhood. The night the verdict was set to be announced, Alicia Garza and some friends gathered for drinks. None of them thought Zimmerman would be acquitted on all charges. But that’s what happened. And Garza felt like she’d been punched in the gut, she [told MSNBC](https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/remembering-why-black-lives-matter-alicia-garza-podcast-transcript-ncna1013901). [![An aerial photo shows a mural reading "Black Lives Matter" painted on a bike path on June 19, 2020, in Atlanta, Georgia. ](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) An aerial photo shows a mural reading "Black Lives Matter" painted on a bike path on June 19, 2020, in Atlanta, Georgia. Chandan Khanna/AFP/Getty Images Related article Taking 'Black Lives Matter' from slogan to reality](https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/16/opinions/black-lives-matter-usa-race-irving/index.html) That night Garza woke up in the middle of the night crying. So she began writing out how she felt, in an emotional Facebook post. She wrote that she continued to be surprised “at how little Black lives matter.” “That’s really what Black Lives Matter was for me,” Garza told MSNBC. “And that’s why I said Black people, I love you. I love us. And that our lives matter. And that we matter. And that Black lives matter.” The phrase “Black lives matter” inspired Garza’s friend, Patrisse Cullors, to create a hashtag. Almost instantly, it went viral. Ad Feedback “I wanted it to go viral,” Cullors, who co-founded Black Lives Matter with Garza and Opal Tometi,told CNN. “On July 15th, 2013 I said that Alicia and I had created a thing called \#BlackLivesMatter and we hope that it will be bigger than we can ever imagine,” Cullors said. “Over the last seven years we’ve developed more infrastructure and we’ve become more organized.” Momentum around the movement has grown amid calls for justice following the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. The phrase “Black Lives Matter” is being used now as more than just a hashtag – it’s a rallying cry. At protests, it’s what many demonstrators write on their signs or chant as they march. Online, it’s what many have used to spread the message against police brutality. And globally, it’s being used by many to show solidarity with Black people. While many believe the movement is more accepted than it once was, others remain skeptical of what it accomplishes and question its impact. Here’s what you need to know about the evolution of the movement, and why it matters. Ad Feedback ## Growth of a movement Black Lives Matter is one of the most well-known organizations fighting for the well-being of Black people. Studies show that [segregation persists in many American cities](https://www.epi.org/publication/schools-are-still-segregated-and-black-children-are-paying-a-price/), leaving majority Black communities behind. BLM’s goal, [according to its website](https://blacklivesmatter.com/what-we-believe/), is to eradicate anti-Blackness and create a society where Black people are able to thrive in the US. “We live in a country built to keep us away from these resources that we need,” said Kailee Scales, managing director of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation. Scales referenced the data. Police officers are almost four times as likely to use force on Black people than White people. Black people are also jailed [at a disproportionate rate](https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/08/us/us-police-floyd-protests-country-comparisons-intl/index.html). Black Americans have [lower access to health care](https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/07/us/coronavirus-black-americans-race/index.html) and lack the same [access to quality education.](https://www.cnn.com/2017/05/24/us/mississippi-schools-lawsuit-southern-poverty-law/index.html) “Folks in the movement have been consistently fighting to reverse that trend, to raise awareness that this is not the way we’re supposed to live,” Scales told CNN. Since the hashtag launched, the organization has become more formalized, taken on specific branding and branched out into nationwide chapters – all in an attempt to solidify the group and allow them to create national campaigns while engaging the broader community. Ad Feedback Organizers put together a website, which led to the development of local chapters of BLM, first in Los Angeles in 2013 and then throughout the country, according to Scales. ![Left to right, co-founders of BLM, Opal Tometi, Alicia Garza and Patrisse Cullors appear onstage during The New York Women's Foundation Celebrating Women Breakfast in 2015.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Left to right, co-founders of BLM, Opal Tometi, Alicia Garza and Patrisse Cullors appear onstage during The New York Women's Foundation Celebrating Women Breakfast in 2015. Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images After the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, against police brutality in 2014, the organization became more well known. In 2017 it became incorporated as the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, Inc. Today the network consists of 13 official chapters in the US, plus three more in Canada,according to the BLM website. Local chapters are semi-autonomous, meaning they “do the work that makes sense” for their communities, Scales said. The structure allows the group to have an impact at all levels – doing work both nationally and locally, she said. Each chapter works a little differently and has different focuses, depending on community needs. The Chicago chapter, for example, focuses more on police accountability, while the Boston chapter does a lot of activity around mutual aid, Scales said. ![Protests in Los Angeles, after the murder of George Floyd.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Protests in Los Angeles, after the murder of George Floyd. Kyle Grillot/AFP/Getty Images In Los Angeles BLM activists have been at the forefront of the defund police movement, meeting [with local politicians](https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/30/us/los-angeles-city-council-approves-measure-nonviolent-response/index.html) about a proposal they call the People’s Budget, which would reallocate funding from the Los Angeles Police Department. The group has called for defunding the police for at least five years, Black Lives Matter Los Angeles co-founder Melina Abdullah told CNN. The most recent push began in May, and at the time the chapter had little support from local politicians. After George Floyd’s killing, however, the group gained momentum and received some support from a few members of the Los Angeles City Council. In June, after pressure from BLMLA and massive protests, the council unanimously [approved a measure](https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/30/us/los-angeles-city-council-approves-measure-nonviolent-response/index.html) to develop an unarmed model of crisis response that would replace police officers with community-based responders for nonviolent calls. Following the vote, City Councilmember Herb Wesson Jr., who authored the motion with Council President Nury Martinez, said in a [tweet](https://twitter.com/HerbJWesson/status/1278035223230345216) that he looks “forward to continuing this work alongside” BLMLA. And there is more work to be done, Abdullah said. “(We) never thought that that (amount) was anywhere near enough,” she told CNN. “But it’s a step forward that we forced.” The different chapters are bound by a set of guiding principles, which work to ground the individual entities. But they also work together. Chapters tend to work across state lines, Abdullah told CNN. When the BLM chapter in South Bend, Indiana, was getting started,Abdullah said the group worked closely with BLMLA – specifically comparing notes on the terms of mayors Pete Buttigieg and Eric Garcetti. [![TOPSHOT - A Police officer charges forward as people protest the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis Police in front of the White House in Washington, D.C. on May 31, 2020. - Thousands of National Guard troops patrolled major US cities after five consecutive nights of protests over racism and police brutality that boiled over into arson and looting, sending shock waves through the country. The death Monday of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, at the hands of police in Minneapolis ignited this latest wave of outrage in the US over law enforcement's repeated use of lethal force against African Americans -- this one like others before captured on cellphone video. (Photo by Samuel Corum / AFP) (Photo by SAMUEL CORUM/AFP via Getty Images)](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) TOPSHOT - A Police officer charges forward as people protest the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis Police in front of the White House in Washington, D.C. on May 31, 2020. - Thousands of National Guard troops patrolled major US cities after five consecutive nights of protests over racism and police brutality that boiled over into arson and looting, sending shock waves through the country. The death Monday of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, at the hands of police in Minneapolis ignited this latest wave of outrage in the US over law enforcement's repeated use of lethal force against African Americans -- this one like others before captured on cellphone video. (Photo by Samuel Corum / AFP) (Photo by SAMUEL CORUM/AFP via Getty Images) Samuel Corum/AFP/Getty Images Related article There's a growing call to defund the police. Here's what it means](https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/06/us/what-is-defund-police-trnd/index.html) It’s worth noting that not every protest or demonstration is part of the Black Lives Matter network, as some may be organized by people simply using the movement’s name. And not every person attending a BLM protest is a part of their local BLM chapter. The movement is largely decentralized, with no one besides managing director Scales receiving pay, said Abdullah, who also works as a professor at California State University in Los Angeles. Chapters tend to have a loose leadership structure, with a focus on on-the-ground organizing – allowing chapters the autonomy to organize in the way they see fit. Until George Floyd’s death, Abdullah said BLMLA had only raised \$100,000 in the last seven years, money that it used for “the basic cost of organizing,” things like renting rooms, making copies, printing banners and hiring unarmed security. They also try to provide limited support to families who lose members to police brutality, like aiding with funeral costs, which Abdullah said can sometimes run up to \$20,000. And unless money is earmarked specifically for the local chapters, money donated through the main network goes to the larger global network, Abdullah said. Chapters can ask for a little money from the national organization, but it’s not always a significant amount, she said. But with donations streaming in after Floyd’s death, BLMLA has more money than it has ever had. “We’re stepping back to take a minute and process what we should be doing with the newfound money that we’ve never had before,” she said. ## ‘All Lives Matter’ and other backlash With more notoriety comes more scrutiny, and the Black Lives Matter movement has experienced its fair share of criticism. Some have said while they support the movement’s cause, they are [not a fan of its approach](https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/08/24/i-was-a-civil-rights-activist-in-the-1960s-but-its-hard-for-me-to-get-behind-black-lives-matter/), contrasting some of the protests today to the peaceful ones of the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Many have condemned the more progressive demands of the cause, most notably the call to defund the police, which would instead invest those funds in communities, especially marginalized ones where much of the policing occurs. [![Supporters of Black Lives Matter, hold signs during a protest outside the Hall of Justice as they demonstrate against the death of George Floyd, in Los Angeles, California on June 10, 2020. (Photo by Mark RALSTON / AFP) (Photo by MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images)](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Supporters of Black Lives Matter, hold signs during a protest outside the Hall of Justice as they demonstrate against the death of George Floyd, in Los Angeles, California on June 10, 2020. (Photo by Mark RALSTON / AFP) (Photo by MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images) MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images Related article Why saying 'All lives matter' misses the big picture](https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/23/opinions/all-lives-matter-misses-the-big-picture-baker/index.html) Like Abdullah said, the call to defund the police has been a key priority of the movement for years. But as these calls increase, police unions across the country have dug in [to protect their own](https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/08/politics/police-union-reform-protests/index.html) – even though the movement has support from organizations [like Amnesty International](https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/06/usa-end-unlawful-police-violence-against-black-lives-matter-protests/) and [video evidence](https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/06/us/police-excessive-force-us-protests/index.html) of officers using excessive force against protesters. And the notion still faces pushback from people on both sides of the political aisle. President Donald Trump has [defended the police](https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/16/politics/police-reform-order-donald-trump/index.html). Meanwhile, politicians like Gov. Tony Evers of Wisconsin, a Democrat, has said defunding [goes too far.](https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2020/06/04/defunding-police-departments-goes-too-far-gov-tony-evers-says/3138029001/) Others have called the movement too radical. In Arizona, Rep. Walt Blackman, a Black GOP member of the Arizona Legislature, [labeled BLM a “terrorist organization”](https://www.iheart.com/podcast/960-conservative-circus-w-jame-28823469/episode/walt-blackman-on-kathy-hoffman-joining-63428398/) in an interview with Fox News Radio affiliate KFYI. He then [told the Arizona Republic in a follow up interview](https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona/2020/06/05/black-gop-legislator-criticism-blm-terrorist/3149272001/) that BLM is an “ideology that goes against the very concepts and precepts of our principles in the United States.” Critics have also responded to the phrase “Black Lives Matter” by coining their own slogans, such as “All Lives Matter,” which some argue [minimizes the current struggle Black people face against systemic racism](https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2020/07/08/all-lives-matter-offensive-problematic-eg-orig.cnn), and “Blue Lives Matter,” referring to the lives of police. Trump [previously called the words “Black Lives Matter” a “symbol of hate”](https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/01/politics/donald-trump-black-lives-matter-confederate-race/index.html) in a [tweet](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1278324680311681024) criticizing New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio for “denigrating” Fifth Avenue in Manhattanwith a BLM mural. Still, Michael Kazin, who studies social movements at Georgetown University, said it’s surprising that the movement hasn’t received more backlash. He said it’s the first time in history that a movement focused on Black equality has seen this kind of support from White people. “Even in the ’60s, with the (March on Washington), polls at the time never had more than 15, 20% support among Whites,” Kazin, who isalso theco-editor of the democratic-socialist publication Dissent Magazine, told CNN. There’s been an outpouring of support from diverse populations, he said. He used Portland, Oregon, as an example, where federal officers have [used tear gas and force](https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/23/politics/justice-department-inspector-general-portland-washington/index.html) against on majority-White protesters. “We’re seeing huge crowds in little cities, or even where there’s hardly any Black people,” Kazin said. “That’s new. That didn’t happen in the ’60s, or even in 2013.” ## Why people are rallying behind BLM It’s been said that [this moment feels different](https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/12/us/protests-rodney-king-freddie-gray-optimism-blake/index.html). It’s bigger, more mainstream. White people are protesting just as much as people of color. Even large corporations and brands, which may have been silent in the past, are getting involved. Last month NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said “Black Lives Matter” [in an apology video](https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/05/sport/roger-goodell-responds-nfl-stronger-together-video/index.html), a far cry from the league’s stance during the 2016-17 season, when Colin Kaepernick became increasingly vocal about police brutality to the chagrin of the league. Kaepernick has [not been with a team since](https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/16/us/nfl-roger-goodell-colin-kaepernick-spt-trnd/index.html). Companies like [Peloton, Disney, Facebook](https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/01/business/us-protests-companies-respond-intl-hnk/index.html) and others have spoken up against racial injustice, while the CEO of Netflix donated [\$120 million to historically Black colleges and universities](https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/17/business/netflix-ceo-hbcus-donate-trnd/index.html). Taylor Swift, who previously stayed away from anything remotely controversial, has voiced her support for the BLM movement, and even called for the [removal of Confederate monuments](https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/13/us/taylor-swift-tennessee-racism-trnd/index.html) in Tennessee. Meanwhile, Seth Rogen, Steve Carrell and others have [donated to bail funds for protesters.](https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/30/us/chrissy-teigen-minneapolis-bail-out-trnd/index.html) ![Irish protesters rallied outside the US embassy in Dublin, Ireland.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Irish protesters rallied outside the US embassy in Dublin, Ireland. Brian Lawless/PA Images via Reuters ![Protesters gather in Sydney on June 6. Many were threatened with fines and arrests if they protested.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Protesters gather in Sydney on June 6. Many were threatened with fines and arrests if they protested. Rick Rycroft/AP ![French police clash with protesters during a Black Lives Matter protest in Paris on Saturday, June 13.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) French police clash with protesters during a Black Lives Matter protest in Paris on Saturday, June 13. Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP/Getty Images ![Black Lives Matter supporters gather in Trafalgar Square in central London on June 13.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Black Lives Matter supporters gather in Trafalgar Square in central London on June 13. Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP/Getty Images ![People demonstrate against racism during a protest on June 13 in Lausanne, Switzerland.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) People demonstrate against racism during a protest on June 13 in Lausanne, Switzerland. Jean-Christophe Bott/AP ![Protesters throw a statue of Edward Colston into Bristol Harbor in Bristol, England, on June 7. Colston was a \<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/07/world/global-floyd-protests-weekend-intl/index.html" target="\_blank"\>17th century slave trader.\</a\>](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Protesters throw a statue of Edward Colston into Bristol Harbor in Bristol, England, on June 7. Colston was a [17th century slave trader.](https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/07/world/global-floyd-protests-weekend-intl/index.html) Ben Birchall/PA/AP ![Police clash with protesters during a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Westminster, London on Sunday, June 7.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Police clash with protesters during a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Westminster, London on Sunday, June 7. Aaron Chown/AP ![A protester wearing a mask holds a cross with the name of George Floyd during a protest at Avenida Presidente Vargas on June 7, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. ](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) A protester wearing a mask holds a cross with the name of George Floyd during a protest at Avenida Presidente Vargas on June 7, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Buda Mendes/Getty Images ![Protesters march in Rome on June 7.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Protesters march in Rome on June 7. Giuseppe Pino Fama/Pacific Press/Shutterstock ![A woman wears a mask during a demonstration in Madrid on June 7.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) A woman wears a mask during a demonstration in Madrid on June 7. Gabriel Bouys/AFP via Getty Images ![A protester holds up a sign at a demonstration in Edinburgh, Scotland, on June 7.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) A protester holds up a sign at a demonstration in Edinburgh, Scotland, on June 7. Andy Buchanan/AFP via Getty Images ![Protesters gather at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office building in London on June 7.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Protesters gather at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office building in London on June 7. Alberto Pezzali/AP ![Participants hold signs during a rally outside of the Consulate General of the United States in Hong Kong on June 7.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Participants hold signs during a rally outside of the Consulate General of the United States in Hong Kong on June 7. Anthony Kwan/Getty Images ![People protest in Lausanne, Switzerland, on June 7.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) People protest in Lausanne, Switzerland, on June 7. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images ![A young protester in Maastricht, Netherlands, on June 7.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) A young protester in Maastricht, Netherlands, on June 7. Piroschka van de Wouw/Reuters ![A protester raises her fist during demonstrations in Brussels, Belgium, on June 7.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) A protester raises her fist during demonstrations in Brussels, Belgium, on June 7. Yves Herman/Reuters ![Demonstrators protest in Holyrood Park in Edinburgh, Scotland, on June 7.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Demonstrators protest in Holyrood Park in Edinburgh, Scotland, on June 7. Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images ![Protesters hold signs denouncing racism during a demonstration in Porto, Portugal, on June 7. ](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Protesters hold signs denouncing racism during a demonstration in Porto, Portugal, on June 7. Diogo Baptista/SOPA Images/Sipa/AP ![Demonstrators gather during a Black Lives Matter protest in Manchester, England, on Saturday, June 6.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Demonstrators gather during a Black Lives Matter protest in Manchester, England, on Saturday, June 6. Phil Noble/Reuters ![Aboriginal protesters conduct a traditional smoking ceremony at Town Hall in Sydney, Australia, on June 6.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Aboriginal protesters conduct a traditional smoking ceremony at Town Hall in Sydney, Australia, on June 6. Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images ![With the iconic Eiffel Tower in the background, demonstrators gather on the Champs de Mars in Paris on June 6.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) With the iconic Eiffel Tower in the background, demonstrators gather on the Champs de Mars in Paris on June 6. Francois Mori/AP ![People take part in a Black Lives Matter rally in Cardiff, Wales.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) People take part in a Black Lives Matter rally in Cardiff, Wales. Ben Birchall/PA Images via Reuters ![A man attending a demonstration in Berlin, with the names of victims of police violence written on his face.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) A man attending a demonstration in Berlin, with the names of victims of police violence written on his face. Markus Schreiber/AP ![Hundreds of people attend a rally in Frankfurt, Germany, to honor George Floyd.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Hundreds of people attend a rally in Frankfurt, Germany, to honor George Floyd. Michael Probst/AP ![Marchers at a Black Lives Matter protest in Melbourne, Australia, on June 6, were among the tens of thousands of Australians who defied government calls to stay at home, taking to the streets instead to protest](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Marchers at a Black Lives Matter protest in Melbourne, Australia, on June 6, were among the tens of thousands of Australians who defied government calls to stay at home, taking to the streets instead to protest William West/AFP via Getty Images ![People march from the US Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa, towards the President's office.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) People march from the US Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa, towards the President's office. Marco Longari/AFP via Getty Images ![A woman kneels during a rally in London.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) A woman kneels during a rally in London. Alberto Pezzali/AP ![A large crowd demonstrates in Stuttgart, Germany.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) A large crowd demonstrates in Stuttgart, Germany. Christoph Schmidt/picture alliance via Getty Images ![Participants shout during a rally in Berlin, while carrying signs that read, "Their lives mattered."](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Participants shout during a rally in Berlin, while carrying signs that read, "Their lives mattered." Britta Pedersen/picture alliance via Getty Images ![A woman at a solidarity march in Seoul, South Korea, to protest against racism.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) A woman at a solidarity march in Seoul, South Korea, to protest against racism. Ahn Young-joon/AP ![Protesters kneeling and raising their fists during a rally near the U.S Embassy in Pristina, Kosovo.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Protesters kneeling and raising their fists during a rally near the U.S Embassy in Pristina, Kosovo. Visar Kryeziu/AP ![Protesters demonstrate in Tunis, Tunisia.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Protesters demonstrate in Tunis, Tunisia. Hassene Dridi/AP ![Protesters take a knee in Liege, Belgium.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Protesters take a knee in Liege, Belgium. Bernard Gillet/Belga Mag/AFP via Getty Images ![Protesters also took to the streets of Tokyo.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Protesters also took to the streets of Tokyo. Eugene Hoshiko/AP ![Thousands of people demonstrate in Cologne, Germany, as the slogans -- and sentiments -- of the American protests for Floyd go global.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Thousands of people demonstrate in Cologne, Germany, as the slogans -- and sentiments -- of the American protests for Floyd go global. Martin Meissner/AP ![Demonstrators take a knee in Luton, England.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Demonstrators take a knee in Luton, England. Peter Cziborra/Reuters ![Protesters raise their hands during a rally in Sofia, Bulgaria.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Protesters raise their hands during a rally in Sofia, Bulgaria. Nikolay Doychinov/AFP via Getty Images ![Irish protesters rallied outside the US embassy in Dublin, Ireland.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Irish protesters rallied outside the US embassy in Dublin, Ireland. Brian Lawless/PA Images via Reuters ![Protesters gather in Sydney on June 6. Many were threatened with fines and arrests if they protested.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Protesters gather in Sydney on June 6. Many were threatened with fines and arrests if they protested. Rick Rycroft/AP ![French police clash with protesters during a Black Lives Matter protest in Paris on Saturday, June 13.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) French police clash with protesters during a Black Lives Matter protest in Paris on Saturday, June 13. Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP/Getty Images ![Black Lives Matter supporters gather in Trafalgar Square in central London on June 13.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Black Lives Matter supporters gather in Trafalgar Square in central London on June 13. Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP/Getty Images ##### Protests across the globe after George Floyd's death 1 of 37 Prev Next With the rise of social media in the 2010s, images showing police brutality against Black people have reached a much wider audience. Now a whole generation has grown up exposed to the issue of systemic racism. Or, as Minneapolis community organizer Shanene Herbert put it, the trauma. “They (young people) have experienced trauma,” she [told CNN.](https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/29/us/protesters-anger-george-floyd/index.html) “Seeing your friends, your families and even yourself harassed by the police and killed by the police, it’s traumatic. And they don’t know what to do with that.” More people are demanding change. And BLM has been a big motivator in that shift. Mary Westbrook, who lives in Philadelphia and participated in the city’s protests in June, told CNN that she felt it was important for her to support the movement. [![02 why i protest bikers RESTRICTED](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Eric Schleicher Related article The three reasons Black Lives Matter marchers refuse to quit](https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/24/us/black-lives-matter-why-i-march-trnd/index.html) Westbrook, who is White, was among a group of demonstratorsthat was sprayed with tear gas. Afterward, she shared an image of herself on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/mjwestbrook10/status/1267563671653318657), noting her “face and eyes are on fire.” “I’ve lived in this city for 16 years,” the 38-year-old told CNN in a Twitter message in June. “I am a children’s librarian at the library right there on the Parkway (which is why I know the area and streets there really well). I see every day what black and other POC are dealing with in this city.” In the last seven years, BLM activists have made their message mainstream, according to Marcia Chatelain, author of “Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America.” “There’s been a shift in the public and a willingness to engage with their ideas,” Chatelain, an American studies professor at Georgetown University, told CNN. For example, she said, “people are willing to take a second to understand what defunding the police and prison abolition are all about.” ## What the future holds When asked what she hopes for BLM’s future, co-founder Cullors said she knows the movement will win. [![Families participate in a children's march in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and national protests against police brutality in June in Brooklyn.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Families participate in a children's march in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and national protests against police brutality in June in Brooklyn. Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images Related article The next Greatest Generation](https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/14/opinions/black-lives-matter-gen-z-greatest-generation-gergen-cohen/index.html) “I know this because our work is full of love, healing and dignity,” she said. “And we center Black people’s humanity and life over our death and decimation.” The task isn’t an easy one. Kazin, the Georgetown professor, pointed out that the BLM movement is about power – having power to decide how policing will look, or having power to access quality education. BLM signs in windows, anti-racist reading lists – all these things are good, Kazin said. But unless they are coupled with a true shift in power and larger political solidarity efforts, little will change. Still, people are listening now. And Scales, like Cullors, is optimistic. “At this point, we don’t stop,” she said. “We’re not able to relax. It’s now the opportunity to push for the true transformation that we’ve been working for.” CNN’s Christina Zdanowicz contributed to this report. 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Readable Markdown	CNN — It began as a love letter to Black people in the wake of an unexpected verdict. It was July 2013 and George Zimmerman was on trial for murder in the killing of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old Black boy who had been walking in his father’s Florida neighborhood. The night the verdict was set to be announced, Alicia Garza and some friends gathered for drinks. None of them thought Zimmerman would be acquitted on all charges. But that’s what happened. And Garza felt like she’d been punched in the gut, she [told MSNBC](https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/remembering-why-black-lives-matter-alicia-garza-podcast-transcript-ncna1013901). That night Garza woke up in the middle of the night crying. So she began writing out how she felt, in an emotional Facebook post. She wrote that she continued to be surprised “at how little Black lives matter.” “That’s really what Black Lives Matter was for me,” Garza told MSNBC. “And that’s why I said Black people, I love you. I love us. And that our lives matter. And that we matter. And that Black lives matter.” The phrase “Black lives matter” inspired Garza’s friend, Patrisse Cullors, to create a hashtag. Almost instantly, it went viral. Ad Feedback “I wanted it to go viral,” Cullors, who co-founded Black Lives Matter with Garza and Opal Tometi,told CNN. “On July 15th, 2013 I said that Alicia and I had created a thing called \#BlackLivesMatter and we hope that it will be bigger than we can ever imagine,” Cullors said. “Over the last seven years we’ve developed more infrastructure and we’ve become more organized.” Momentum around the movement has grown amid calls for justice following the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. The phrase “Black Lives Matter” is being used now as more than just a hashtag – it’s a rallying cry. At protests, it’s what many demonstrators write on their signs or chant as they march. Online, it’s what many have used to spread the message against police brutality. And globally, it’s being used by many to show solidarity with Black people. While many believe the movement is more accepted than it once was, others remain skeptical of what it accomplishes and question its impact. Here’s what you need to know about the evolution of the movement, and why it matters. Ad Feedback Black Lives Matter is one of the most well-known organizations fighting for the well-being of Black people. Studies show that [segregation persists in many American cities](https://www.epi.org/publication/schools-are-still-segregated-and-black-children-are-paying-a-price/), leaving majority Black communities behind. BLM’s goal, [according to its website](https://blacklivesmatter.com/what-we-believe/), is to eradicate anti-Blackness and create a society where Black people are able to thrive in the US. “We live in a country built to keep us away from these resources that we need,” said Kailee Scales, managing director of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation. Scales referenced the data. Police officers are almost four times as likely to use force on Black people than White people. Black people are also jailed [at a disproportionate rate](https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/08/us/us-police-floyd-protests-country-comparisons-intl/index.html). Black Americans have [lower access to health care](https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/07/us/coronavirus-black-americans-race/index.html) and lack the same [access to quality education.](https://www.cnn.com/2017/05/24/us/mississippi-schools-lawsuit-southern-poverty-law/index.html) “Folks in the movement have been consistently fighting to reverse that trend, to raise awareness that this is not the way we’re supposed to live,” Scales told CNN. Since the hashtag launched, the organization has become more formalized, taken on specific branding and branched out into nationwide chapters – all in an attempt to solidify the group and allow them to create national campaigns while engaging the broader community. Ad Feedback Organizers put together a website, which led to the development of local chapters of BLM, first in Los Angeles in 2013 and then throughout the country, according to Scales. After the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, against police brutality in 2014, the organization became more well known. In 2017 it became incorporated as the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, Inc. Today the network consists of 13 official chapters in the US, plus three more in Canada,according to the BLM website. Local chapters are semi-autonomous, meaning they “do the work that makes sense” for their communities, Scales said. The structure allows the group to have an impact at all levels – doing work both nationally and locally, she said. Each chapter works a little differently and has different focuses, depending on community needs. The Chicago chapter, for example, focuses more on police accountability, while the Boston chapter does a lot of activity around mutual aid, Scales said. In Los Angeles BLM activists have been at the forefront of the defund police movement, meeting [with local politicians](https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/30/us/los-angeles-city-council-approves-measure-nonviolent-response/index.html) about a proposal they call the People’s Budget, which would reallocate funding from the Los Angeles Police Department. The group has called for defunding the police for at least five years, Black Lives Matter Los Angeles co-founder Melina Abdullah told CNN. The most recent push began in May, and at the time the chapter had little support from local politicians. After George Floyd’s killing, however, the group gained momentum and received some support from a few members of the Los Angeles City Council. In June, after pressure from BLMLA and massive protests, the council unanimously [approved a measure](https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/30/us/los-angeles-city-council-approves-measure-nonviolent-response/index.html) to develop an unarmed model of crisis response that would replace police officers with community-based responders for nonviolent calls. Following the vote, City Councilmember Herb Wesson Jr., who authored the motion with Council President Nury Martinez, said in a [tweet](https://twitter.com/HerbJWesson/status/1278035223230345216) that he looks “forward to continuing this work alongside” BLMLA. And there is more work to be done, Abdullah said. “(We) never thought that that (amount) was anywhere near enough,” she told CNN. “But it’s a step forward that we forced.” The different chapters are bound by a set of guiding principles, which work to ground the individual entities. But they also work together. Chapters tend to work across state lines, Abdullah told CNN. When the BLM chapter in South Bend, Indiana, was getting started,Abdullah said the group worked closely with BLMLA – specifically comparing notes on the terms of mayors Pete Buttigieg and Eric Garcetti. It’s worth noting that not every protest or demonstration is part of the Black Lives Matter network, as some may be organized by people simply using the movement’s name. And not every person attending a BLM protest is a part of their local BLM chapter. The movement is largely decentralized, with no one besides managing director Scales receiving pay, said Abdullah, who also works as a professor at California State University in Los Angeles. Chapters tend to have a loose leadership structure, with a focus on on-the-ground organizing – allowing chapters the autonomy to organize in the way they see fit. Until George Floyd’s death, Abdullah said BLMLA had only raised \$100,000 in the last seven years, money that it used for “the basic cost of organizing,” things like renting rooms, making copies, printing banners and hiring unarmed security. They also try to provide limited support to families who lose members to police brutality, like aiding with funeral costs, which Abdullah said can sometimes run up to \$20,000. And unless money is earmarked specifically for the local chapters, money donated through the main network goes to the larger global network, Abdullah said. Chapters can ask for a little money from the national organization, but it’s not always a significant amount, she said. But with donations streaming in after Floyd’s death, BLMLA has more money than it has ever had. “We’re stepping back to take a minute and process what we should be doing with the newfound money that we’ve never had before,” she said. ## ‘All Lives Matter’ and other backlash With more notoriety comes more scrutiny, and the Black Lives Matter movement has experienced its fair share of criticism. Some have said while they support the movement’s cause, they are [not a fan of its approach](https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/08/24/i-was-a-civil-rights-activist-in-the-1960s-but-its-hard-for-me-to-get-behind-black-lives-matter/), contrasting some of the protests today to the peaceful ones of the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Many have condemned the more progressive demands of the cause, most notably the call to defund the police, which would instead invest those funds in communities, especially marginalized ones where much of the policing occurs. Like Abdullah said, the call to defund the police has been a key priority of the movement for years. But as these calls increase, police unions across the country have dug in [to protect their own](https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/08/politics/police-union-reform-protests/index.html) – even though the movement has support from organizations [like Amnesty International](https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/06/usa-end-unlawful-police-violence-against-black-lives-matter-protests/) and [video evidence](https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/06/us/police-excessive-force-us-protests/index.html) of officers using excessive force against protesters. And the notion still faces pushback from people on both sides of the political aisle. President Donald Trump has [defended the police](https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/16/politics/police-reform-order-donald-trump/index.html). Meanwhile, politicians like Gov. Tony Evers of Wisconsin, a Democrat, has said defunding [goes too far.](https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2020/06/04/defunding-police-departments-goes-too-far-gov-tony-evers-says/3138029001/) Others have called the movement too radical. In Arizona, Rep. Walt Blackman, a Black GOP member of the Arizona Legislature, [labeled BLM a “terrorist organization”](https://www.iheart.com/podcast/960-conservative-circus-w-jame-28823469/episode/walt-blackman-on-kathy-hoffman-joining-63428398/) in an interview with Fox News Radio affiliate KFYI. He then [told the Arizona Republic in a follow up interview](https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona/2020/06/05/black-gop-legislator-criticism-blm-terrorist/3149272001/) that BLM is an “ideology that goes against the very concepts and precepts of our principles in the United States.” Critics have also responded to the phrase “Black Lives Matter” by coining their own slogans, such as “All Lives Matter,” which some argue [minimizes the current struggle Black people face against systemic racism](https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2020/07/08/all-lives-matter-offensive-problematic-eg-orig.cnn), and “Blue Lives Matter,” referring to the lives of police. Trump [previously called the words “Black Lives Matter” a “symbol of hate”](https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/01/politics/donald-trump-black-lives-matter-confederate-race/index.html) in a [tweet](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1278324680311681024) criticizing New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio for “denigrating” Fifth Avenue in Manhattanwith a BLM mural. Still, Michael Kazin, who studies social movements at Georgetown University, said it’s surprising that the movement hasn’t received more backlash. He said it’s the first time in history that a movement focused on Black equality has seen this kind of support from White people. “Even in the ’60s, with the (March on Washington), polls at the time never had more than 15, 20% support among Whites,” Kazin, who isalso theco-editor of the democratic-socialist publication Dissent Magazine, told CNN. There’s been an outpouring of support from diverse populations, he said. He used Portland, Oregon, as an example, where federal officers have [used tear gas and force](https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/23/politics/justice-department-inspector-general-portland-washington/index.html) against on majority-White protesters. “We’re seeing huge crowds in little cities, or even where there’s hardly any Black people,” Kazin said. “That’s new. That didn’t happen in the ’60s, or even in 2013.” It’s been said that [this moment feels different](https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/12/us/protests-rodney-king-freddie-gray-optimism-blake/index.html). It’s bigger, more mainstream. White people are protesting just as much as people of color. Even large corporations and brands, which may have been silent in the past, are getting involved. Last month NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said “Black Lives Matter” [in an apology video](https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/05/sport/roger-goodell-responds-nfl-stronger-together-video/index.html), a far cry from the league’s stance during the 2016-17 season, when Colin Kaepernick became increasingly vocal about police brutality to the chagrin of the league. Kaepernick has [not been with a team since](https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/16/us/nfl-roger-goodell-colin-kaepernick-spt-trnd/index.html). Companies like [Peloton, Disney, Facebook](https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/01/business/us-protests-companies-respond-intl-hnk/index.html) and others have spoken up against racial injustice, while the CEO of Netflix donated [\$120 million to historically Black colleges and universities](https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/17/business/netflix-ceo-hbcus-donate-trnd/index.html). Taylor Swift, who previously stayed away from anything remotely controversial, has voiced her support for the BLM movement, and even called for the [removal of Confederate monuments](https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/13/us/taylor-swift-tennessee-racism-trnd/index.html) in Tennessee. Meanwhile, Seth Rogen, Steve Carrell and others have [donated to bail funds for protesters.](https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/30/us/chrissy-teigen-minneapolis-bail-out-trnd/index.html) ##### Protests across the globe after George Floyd's death 1 of 37 With the rise of social media in the 2010s, images showing police brutality against Black people have reached a much wider audience. Now a whole generation has grown up exposed to the issue of systemic racism. Or, as Minneapolis community organizer Shanene Herbert put it, the trauma. “They (young people) have experienced trauma,” she [told CNN.](https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/29/us/protesters-anger-george-floyd/index.html) “Seeing your friends, your families and even yourself harassed by the police and killed by the police, it’s traumatic. And they don’t know what to do with that.” More people are demanding change. And BLM has been a big motivator in that shift. Mary Westbrook, who lives in Philadelphia and participated in the city’s protests in June, told CNN that she felt it was important for her to support the movement. Westbrook, who is White, was among a group of demonstratorsthat was sprayed with tear gas. Afterward, she shared an image of herself on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/mjwestbrook10/status/1267563671653318657), noting her “face and eyes are on fire.” “I’ve lived in this city for 16 years,” the 38-year-old told CNN in a Twitter message in June. “I am a children’s librarian at the library right there on the Parkway (which is why I know the area and streets there really well). I see every day what black and other POC are dealing with in this city.” In the last seven years, BLM activists have made their message mainstream, according to Marcia Chatelain, author of “Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America.” “There’s been a shift in the public and a willingness to engage with their ideas,” Chatelain, an American studies professor at Georgetown University, told CNN. For example, she said, “people are willing to take a second to understand what defunding the police and prison abolition are all about.” When asked what she hopes for BLM’s future, co-founder Cullors said she knows the movement will win. “I know this because our work is full of love, healing and dignity,” she said. “And we center Black people’s humanity and life over our death and decimation.” The task isn’t an easy one. Kazin, the Georgetown professor, pointed out that the BLM movement is about power – having power to decide how policing will look, or having power to access quality education. BLM signs in windows, anti-racist reading lists – all these things are good, Kazin said. But unless they are coupled with a true shift in power and larger political solidarity efforts, little will change. Still, people are listening now. And Scales, like Cullors, is optimistic. “At this point, we don’t stop,” she said. “We’re not able to relax. It’s now the opportunity to push for the true transformation that we’ve been working for.” CNN’s Christina Zdanowicz contributed to this report.
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