I first noticed the statement Black Lives Matter on protest signs in 2014.
I thought the statement was an emotional response directed toward grand jurors that chose not to hold police officers responsible for the deaths of two Black men. I was reminded of signs that declared I AM A MAN held by Memphis sanitation strikers in 1968.
The statement I AM A MAN points out the obvious and means nothing besides the fact. But when directed toward city officials that guaranteed second class citizenship to a segment of its workforce by enforcing discriminatory policies designed to dehumanize the statement becomes a bold affirmation of humanity.
I thought the statement Black Lives Matter attempted something similar. I thought it implored jurors to place themselves in the position of family members of the unarmed mourning a life that mattered instead of role playing or reliving their fear of Black males by placing themselves in the position of the police.
Then I saw a commercial for Roland Martin’s news program on TV One that stated Black Lives Matter was a movement. I checked online. There it was, Black Lives Matter/Not a Moment, a Movement. According to the website it started in 2012 after a community watch volunteer was acquitted for murdering a Black teenager.
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