Making All Black Lives Matter: Reimagining Freedom in the Twenty-First Century (Volume 6) (American Studies Now: Critical Histories of the Present)

"A powerful and personal account of the movement and its players." The Washington Post This perceptive resource on radical black liberation movements in the 21st century can inform anyone wanting to better understand . . . how to make social change. Publishers Weekly The breadth and impact of Black Lives Matter in the United States has been extraordinary. Between 2012 and 2016, thousands of people marched, rallied, held vigils, and engaged in direct actions to protest and draw attention to state and vigilante violence against Black people. What began as outrage over the 2012 murder of Trayvon Martin and the exoneration of his killer, and accelerated during the Ferguson uprising of 2014, has evolved into a resurgent Black Freedom Movement, which includes a network of more than fifty organizations working together under the rubric of the Movement for Black Lives coalition. Employing a range of creative tactics and embracing group-centered leadership models, these visionary young organizers, many of them women, and many of them queer, are not only calling for an end to police violence, but demanding racial justice, gender justice, and systemic change. In Making All Black Lives Matter , award-winning historian and longtime activist Barbara Ransby outlines the scope and genealogy of this movement, documenting its roots in Black feminist politics and situating it squarely in a Black radical tradition, one that is anticapitalist, internationalist, and focused on some of the most marginalized members of the Black community. From the perspective of a participant-observer, Ransby maps the movement, profiles many of its lesser-known leaders, measures its impact, outlines its challenges, and looks toward its future. In The Wake Of The Murder Of Unarmed Teenager Trayvon Martin In 2012 And The Exoneration Of His Killer, Three Black Women Activists Launched A Hashtag And Social-media Platform, Black Lives Matter, Which Would Become The Rubric For A Larger Movement. To Many, Especially Those In The Media, Black Lives Matter Appeared To Burst Onto The National Political Landscape Out Of Thin Air. But As Barbara Ransby Shows In Making All Black Lives Matter, The Movement Has Roots In Prison Abolition, Anti-police Violence, Black Youth Movements, And Radical Mobilizations Across The Country Dating Back At Least A Decade. Ransby Interviewed More Than A Dozen Of The Movement's Principal Organizers And Activists, And She Provides A Detailed Review Of Its Extensive Coverage In Mainstream And Social Media. Making All Black Lives Matter Offers One Of The First Overviews Of Black Lives Matter And Explores The Challenges And Possible Future For This Growing And Influential Movement.--provided By Publisher. Roots And Recalibrated Expectations : Prologue To A Movement -- Justice For Trayvon : The Spark -- The Ferguson Uprising And Its Reverberations -- Black Rage And Blacks In Power : Baltimore And Electoral Politics -- Themes, Dilemmas, And Challenges -- Backlash And A Price -- A View From The Local : Chicago's Fighting Spirit -- Political Quilters And Maroon Spaces -- Conclusion -- Epilogue : A Personal Reflection. Barbara Ransby. Includes Bibliographical References. In the wake of the murder of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012 and the exoneration of his killer, three black women activists launched a hashtag and social media platform, Black Lives Matter, which would become the rubric for a larger movement. To many, especially those in the media, Black Lives Matter appeared to burst onto the national political landscape out of thin air. However, as Making Black Lives Matter shows, the movement has roots in prison abolition, anti-police violence, black youth movements, and radical mobilizations across the country dating back for at least a decade. Barbara Ransby interviewed more than a dozen of the principal organizers and activists in the movement and provides a detailed review of its extensive coverage in mainstream and social media. Making Black Lives Matter offers one of the first overviews of Black Lives Matter and explores the challenges and possible future for this growing and influential movement