Answer

• Social Movements

  According to Smelser (2020), social movements are widely organized and collectively sustained efforts aimed at backing a goal socially, achievable by preventing or implementing a change in societal values and existing structures. Social movements are the results of sharing a common ideology and pushing to achieve a common goal by a group of people not related in any way. Such movements have the ability to mobilize and organize crowds. These social movements can also achieve coordination of their members while running their activities without being limited by area size.

              In a social movement set up, there exists a leadership structure that is responsible for the coordination of the members’ collective activities and provision of behavioral guidelines. These leaders lead the members in questioning and even demanding the change of established social structures. Collectively, the members of a social movement can influence social change. Characteristically, social movements are long-lasting in terms of membership activities. Examples of social movements are; animal rights movement, the black lives matter movement, the climate movement, the human rights movement, the gay rights movement, and the abolitionist movement.

              The black lives matter movement is a social movement that was initiated over several social media platforms to campaign against global racial injustice against blacks by white supremacists. This movement is greatly linked to victims of racial injustice rather than leaders at the frontlines fighting racial injustice. Some of the victims whose brutal treatment inspired this social movement include; Breonna Taylor, Michael Brown, and George Floyd, whose murder sparked a global reaction and campaign against racism.

              Originally, this movement can be traced to have started around 2013 when a white man was freed after shooting a 17-year-old black Trayvon Martin, who was making his way home from a shop in Florida on the basis of looking suspicious because he was black. The verdict sparked emotions after the shooter was acquitted of murder charges by a judge. Seven years down the line, this social movement is still gaining momentum inspired by the recent extrajudicial killing of George Floyd by police officers. (BBC, 2020)

              The leadership of this social movement can be traced back to Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi who started the movement back in 2013. The movement began as an online campaign against racial abuse. With increased cases of racial profiling in the United States, the movement gained momentum and escalated into national protests. Following the police killing of a black man in Ferguson, the social movement pushed for policy solutions by supporting the enactment of laws protecting blacks against social injustices and racial abuse as challenges in general.

              The eventual results of the black lives matter movement have recently been; the resignation of top editors, destruction of supremacist statues globally, police reforms across the United States, and policy formulations supporting the social movement. International sports athletes have also embraced the initiative of taking a knee before games in support of the black lives matter social movement to end racism.

              Over the past year, the black lives matter movement has achieved most of its goals. For instance, there has been a tremendous decline in police brutality and unnecessary killing of black people. The rights of blacks have also been acknowledged and supported globally. This has been made possible given the amount of global support the movement has been receiving recently.

              In conclusion, given the chance to lead the black lives matter movement, I would encourage lawmakers to include policies against racism in the country’s laws. I would also recommend that top government officials support this initiative in order to win the war against racism.