In the Summer of 2013, the acquittal of George Zimmerman after his murder of 17-year old, unarmed, Trayvon Martin, reignited the global movement for racial justice. Then and now, Black children, women, men, and gender non-conforming people are widely perceived as threats rather than human beings. Although the Black Lives Matter movement was born from our collective pain, it has catalyzed a generation of organizers, activists, and agents of our liberation.
Our movement became the rallying cry in the fight to end white supremacy, anti-Black systematic racism, and the brutality inflicted on Black communities at the hands of state and local law enforcement.
As Black Lives Matter approaches our 10th anniversary, in conjunction with other organizations, we're declaring this week #DefundThePolice week. And, to take it a step further,
we're proclaiming July 13th #BlackLivesMatterDay – a day to honor the countless Black folks who have been injured, attacked, murdered, and impacted by police and vigilante violence.
Our lives matter – period. If we can dedicate national day recognitions and holidays to presidents who upheld slavery and racism, we can dedicate a day to the Black lives stolen at the hands of the state and racial terrorists.
This week, we're reiterating our demand to reimagine public safety, which can't happen unless we defund, and then abolish, our current and ineffective police system and replace it with a system rooted in care and displays the humanity of all people. We're reiterating our demand for economic justice and self-determination, reparations, and targeted long-term investments, a defunding of the systems and institutions that criminalize and cage us, and an end to the wars against Black people.
Throughout the week, we'll highlight the countless reasons why funding the police doesn't work – why militarizing the police doesn't work; why state-sanctioned violence upholds white supremacy and enforces modern forms of slavery for Black people.
None of this gives us what we need in our communities. We need community investment – care-first, holistic approaches, not cops. #BlackLivesMatterDay is about honoring the origins of our movement, recommitting ourselves to the righteous fight for justice, and renewing our call to action of defunding the police and investing in our communities.
Click here to take a quick minute and write your local, state, or federal legislators to introduce the proclamation for #BlackLivesMatterDay >>
The letter is pre-written. Don't forget to just sign your name and customize the letter if you'd like!
Shalomyah Bowers
Board Member
Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation
P.S. You can see the official Proclamation for #BlackLivesMatterDay here.
