The Pros And Cons Of The Black Lives Matter Movement

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In 1963, Martin Luther King wrote in his Letter from Birmingham Jail “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Following in his footsteps, organizers of the Black Lives Matter movement have led protests against cases of mass incarceration, police brutality, racial profiling, and general racial inequality. The relatively new movement began on the night of February 26, 2012, when Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old African-American was shot and killed by George Zimmerman. Zimmerman was later arrested and charged with Martin’s murder but was found not guilty on the grounds of self-defense. In the fallout from the not guilty verdict, the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter was coined by Patrisse Cullors in response to a Facebook post written by