In 2013, three Black organizers—Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi—created the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter in response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman, the man who killed Trayvon Martin. What began as a social media post quickly grew into a global rallying cry for justice, equality, and the recognition of Black humanity.
#BlackLivesMatter resonated deeply because it named a painful truth: that Black lives have too often been treated as if they don’t matter. The deaths of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Daniel Prude—and thousands of others—form a tragic, shameful list that is impossible to ignore.
For the first time in generations, it seemed the world was finally beginning to acknowledge the full scale of the injustice. The systemic racism. The police brutality. The barriers to healthcare and education. The underpayment and exploitation of Black labor. The mass incarceration. The vigilante violence. The murders.
Too much. For far, far too long.
Black Lives Matter is more than a movement—it is a demand for change, for truth, and for justice. And in this time of deep political unrest and the alarming resurgence of the far-right, its message is more urgent than ever.
Now is the time for action, for solidarity, and for sustained allyship. Because Black lives do matter—and always have.