The movement began in 2013 with the use of the hashtag #blacklivesmatter. The cause of this was the death of teen Trayvon Martin who was a 17-year-old living in Miami Florida. He was shot and later killed by George Zimmerman, minutes before the shooting Zimmerman called the cops to report a “suspicious person” he was later instructed to not approach this person, and Zimmerman later ignored this warning. Moments later neighbors reported hearing gunfire. Zimmerman acknowledged that he shot Trayvon, later stating that it was an act of self-defense, as he was seen with a bloody nose and chin.

On May 25th, 2020 George Perry Floyd Jr. was an African American who was killed by police officer Derek Chavin, he was seen on film with his knee on his neck suffocating him George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota this death also caused the community to protest against these prejudiced acts.

People all around America have been seen protesting peacefully with signs and chants that show how much these deaths affected everyone in America. Everything was peaceful until cops were seen shooting civilians with rubber bullets, people were seen bleeding which caused riots, chaos, robbing, fires, etc. these peaceful protests have taken a shift for the worst, and people will see the bad in the community and completely ignore what we were originally fighting for.

The internet has also impacted this by celebrities publicizing this movement for more people to acknowledge these protests. On the other side, the internet has been not taking these acts of prejudice seriously as they are seen making jokes and memes about these deaths. Which has caused more people to also not take this movement seriously and actively promote these memes by participating in them.

In conclusion, George Perry Floyd Jr and Trayvon Martin were both victims and were killed unjustifiably. The deaths have led to protests in the street. These past few years have been very rough and unethical for people of color living in America. People around the world can support by sharing on social media and aid in these protests.

Sources: https://library.law.howard.edu/civilrightshistory/BLM https://www.britannica.com/topic/Black-Lives-Matter https://www.adl.org/education/educator-resources/lesson-plans/black-lives-matter-from-hashtag-to-movement