[Air-L] CFM: Black Lives Matter, Ten Years Later

[Sarina Chen]

Greetings!

2023 marks the ten-year anniversary of Black Live Matter (BLM), a
grassroots and decentralized political/social movement seeking criminal
justice for African Americans.  BLM which began in 2013 as a hashtag
#BlackLivesMatter on social media after the acquittal of George Zimmerman
in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, evolved into street demonstrations
against police brutality in 2014 following the deaths of Eric Garner in New
York City, and Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.  In the subsequent
years, in light of the deaths of numerous African Americans by police
actions, many demonstrations, rallies, and die-ins were organized by BLM
across the United States.  What began as an online platform with a set of
goals seeking criminal justice for African Americans, quickly expanded to a
national network of over 30 chapters by 2016.  The most notable
demonstration of BLM movement occurred in 2020 following the murder of
George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.  An estimated 26
million people participated in the 2020 BLM protests in the United States,
calling for criminal justice reform, as one of the largest demonstrations
in U.S. history. In 2021, BLM was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

The Internet, not only was responsible for the expansions of the BLM
movement across the United States, but also was credited for garnishing
global solidarity around the world.  People in many countries organized
demonstrations in support of the BLM movement in the U.S.--Germany, Japan,
Canada, Denmark, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.  BLM's Nobel Peace
Prize nomination was submitted by Norwegian Parliament member, Peter Eide.

Given the significance of the BLM movement, at its tenth anniversary, it is
important to reflect on what the movement has accomplished in the past 10
years, as well as to project what the movement could attain in the future.
More importantly, it is crucial to examine what political/social movements
in the U.S., as well as those around the world, could learn from the BLM
movement.  It is with these goals, my colleagues and I are editing a
volume, Black Lives Matter, Ten Year Later, and we are seeking your
contribution.  If you are interested in contributing to this volume, please
send Shing-Ling Sarina Chen (sarina.chen at uni.edu) a 750-word (no more than
1000 words) abstract of your work by November 15, 2022.  Please note that
original research, empirical or theoretical, utilizing any perspective is
welcomed.  Topics to address include, but not limited to:

BLM and the decentralized grassroots organization
BLM and the Internet/Social Media
BLM and African Americans
BLM and the legislation
BLM and counter movements (White Lives Matter, Blue Lives Matter, etc.)
BLM and political/social movements in the U.S.
BLM and political/social movements around the world
BLM and non-profit fundraising
BLM and misinformation
BLM and the popular culture
BLM and the children
BLM and education

Thank you for considering our call.  Looking forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
Shing-Ling Sarina Chen
Professor
Dept. of Communication and Media
Univ. of Northern Iowa

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