Black Lives Matter

noun

: a movement founded in 2013 to end white supremacy and support Black communities

Note: Black Lives Matter was founded by Black community organizers Patrisse Khan-Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi after George Zimmerman was acquitted of charges relating to his fatal shooting of Black teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012; the movement expanded as people reacted to police killings of unarmed Black people in years following. The name Black Lives Matter functions as a declaration that Black people's lives have as much value as white people's lives, and as a call to end systems and practices that challenge this fact.

—abbreviation BLM

Examples of Black Lives Matter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

At the same time, the verdict prompted an angry response from Neely's side, including his father, Andre Zachary, who was escorted out of the courthouse along with several Black Lives Matter leaders. —Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 14 Dec. 2024

Fraser thinks some of it will mirror previous iterations, the way users leveraged Twitter with #MeToo and the Black Lives Matter movements. —Jason Parham, WIRED, 13 Dec. 2024

She’s triggered outrage with her opposition to Black Lives Matter, feminism, vaccines and immigration. —Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 12 Dec. 2024

Joshua Bassett Carpenter and Joshua Bassett first sparked romance rumors when they were spotted at a Black Lives Matter protest in L.A. in June 2020. —Samantha Stutsman, People.com, 10 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

2014, in the meaning defined above