Hey John,

Welcome to the April edition of The Pulse—Black Lives Matter’s monthly newsletter. We took a lot of actions last month and we want to make sure that you know exactly what we’ve been doing to further Black liberation and fight back against Trump.

Petty Tyrant Watch 🙄

Trump reached the 100th day in office mark right before the end of April. Despite Trump’s efforts to flood the zone with authoritarian bullshit, we’ve responded every step of the way. The more chaos we see from the petty tyrant, the more organized we get. We’re even starting to see some of our work pay off.

• Sign our petition to protect Greenpeace and stop this dangerous lawsuit in its tracks →

• Sign our petition now to protect the Smithsonian — and all museums — as pillars of public knowledge and history. We must tell the Trump administration that we will not shy away from the truth →

• Sign our petition right now to tell the Trump administration that these tariffs are not working →

Campus Arrests

Badar Khan Suri. Rumeysa Ozturk. Mahmoud Khalil.

What do they all have in common? They were all arrested, kidnapped, and transported to remote detention centers in Louisiana and Texas.

They are separated from their friends, families, and legal representation. They are living in deplorable conditions and are completely isolated from all that they know.

These are CLEAR acts of political retaliation designed to instill fear, suppress activism, and attack our constitutional right to protest. We need to fight back—now.

The Trump administration is literally attempting to deport immigrants—and in some cases even naturalized citizens—for exercising their right to peacefully protest. This is dangerous, and it has to stop.

Join us and send a letter to your representatives now: Free Badar Khan Suri, Rumeysa Ozturk, and Mahmoud Khalil. Stop the arrests. Stop the kidnappings. We’re not going to stop until they ACT on behalf of Badar, Rumeysa, and Mahmoud →

A Historic Filibuster

Senator Cory Booker spent April 1st breaking the record for lengthiest remarks delivered in the Senate. As part of his historic filibuster, Sen. Booker spoke for 25 hours straight – reminding us all that the power of the people is greater than the people in power.

This is the type of commitment this moment demands. Lives are literally at stake for the people affected by some of Trump’s most heinous policies. It’s also worth noting that Sen. Booker claims the title of longest speech from the previous record-holder, avowed racist Strom Thurmond who filibustered the Civil Rights Act of 1957. 🙄

Protest. Boycott. Do not comply. That’s what we should all be focused on. There’s nothing we can’t do in community. We keep us safe.

Take a moment to add your name thanking Sen. Cory Booker for his strength, determination, and passion in this critical moment →

Black Maternal Health Week

During Black Maternal Health Week (April 11-17), we raised our voices to say what should have been said all along: Black women and birthing people deserve to live—period.

This week and EVERY DAY, we’re focused on uplifting doulas, midwives, community birth workers, and Black maternal health advocates who are saving lives in spite of a system built to fail us.

International Black Women’s History Month

Did you know that April is recognized as International Black Women’s History Month? It is a time dedicated to honoring the achievements, resilience, and enduring contributions of Black women throughout history. This month invites us to reflect, celebrate, and continue building a future where the voices and legacies of Black women are fully acknowledged and uplifted.

That’s why Black Lives Matter hosted the Future in Bloom event, an intimate gathering to replant the soil of purpose.

Ryan Coogler’s Sinners

This month we saw and celebrated Sinners. The importance of Sinners goes far beyond record-breaking earnings, and accolades.

Sinners is so much more than a vampire movie. We see Black love in all forms, between family, brothers, and community. We love to see a full-figured, dark-skinned Black woman as a romantic lead.

We see the evolution of music, the roots of blues, community, freedom, and Black struggle explored in unique and awe-inspiring ways.

Movies like this, art like this, directors and actors like this are what we get when we invest in Black creativity. This is what we get when we expand opportunity beyond only the most privileged.

That’s all for this month folks! Let us know what you thought of our April edition of The Pulse by replying to this email!

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More soon,

Black Lives Matter

Black Lives Matter imagines a world where Black people across the diaspora thrive, experience joy, and are not defined by their struggles. In pursuing liberation, we envision a future fully divested from police, prisons, and all punishment paradigms and which invests in justice, joy, and culture. Email is the most important way we keep in touch with our supporters. But we know there's a lot going on. If you’d like to receive fewer emails, you can do so by clicking here.

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