Black love of black people: Black Lives Matter symposium
White Christians have to decide: will we show up and act for racial transformation, or will we sit idly by? But BLM isn't waiting to see what our verdict will be.
The Black Lives Matter movement that has unfolded in cities and on campuses across the nation is writing a new chapter in black people’s struggle for liberation. We asked writers to reflect on what the movement has accomplished, where its energies should be focused, and what implications it has for churches. (Read all responses.)
The Black Lives Matter movement isn’t particularly concerned about how a white American like me assesses it. And in some ways, this is precisely the point. When Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi created the hashtag that has truly been heard ’round the world, they were unapologetically focused on black love for black lives. This love is invoked again and again in the ritual chant heard any time Black Lives Matter activists gather (a chant aptly described as liturgical given its transformative power): “It is our duty to fight for our freedom! It is our duty to win!”
The movement has had measurable victories. Abuses of African Americans in the court systems have been the norm in Missouri since the state entered the union, and Michael Brown’s killing was a piece of this history. But by the end of 2015, no doubt as a result of the Ferguson resistance, 45 state measures aiming to reign in police tactics were being pursued there. The indictment of the officer who killed Walter Scott in South Carolina is another victory for the movement.
