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Black History Month 2020 @ Our Lady’s Catholic High School Content Black Lives Matter 2020 2 The History of the Black Lives Matter 2 Task A: Research 3 Black Lives Matter: May 2020 4 Task B: 5 Task C: 8 Task D: 10 How to be an ally 11 Steps towards being a good ally 11 Task E: 13 ‘That only happens in America’- Racism in the UK 14 Stop and Search 14 Race Relations Acts 15 Jobs and Careers 16 Task F: 17 Inspirational Black Women 18 1.Claudia Jones 19 2. Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon 20 3. Dr Olivette Otele 21 4. Charlene White 22 Further study 23 Books 23 Articles 23 YouTube 24 ‘Still I Rise’ by Maya Angelou 25 Prayer for Black History Month 26 1 Black Lives Matter 2020 George Floyd October 14, 1973 – May 25, 2020 By now I am sure that you have all heard of the Black Lives Matter movement. But do you really know what it is all about? And more importantly do you know what you can do to help? The History of the Black Lives Matter What is Black Lives Matter? ● Black Lives Matter (BLM) is an organised movement calling for non-violent civil ​ ​ disobedience in protest against incidents of police brutality against Black people. ● The Black Lives Matter movement started in America in 2013 after George Zimmerman was acquitted (found not guilty) of murdering unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin. It grew in strength following the murder of Mike Brown by police in ​ ​ ​ 2014. ● The women behind the movement and who started the hashtag #blacklivesmatter were ​ ​ Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi ​ ​ ​ 2 Task A: Research 1. The murder of Mike Brown in 2014 led to a number of riots happening across America. What were they called? 2. Who is Shaun King and how is he connected to the Black Lives Matter movement? 3. Why are some people critical about Shaun King? 4. Why are some people angry at how Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi have been treated? Useful websites/videos: Black Lives Matter: A History of the Movement https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbicAmaXYtM Interview with the founders of Black Lives Matter https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbicAmaXYtM Who is Shaun King? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIMwVVm8BGs 3 Black Lives Matter: May 2020 There were three horrific murders that triggered the Black Lives Matter Movement in 2020. Whilst Black people around the world but particularly in America have suffered at the hands of racist people and because of police brutality, the fact that these murders happened in such quick succession during a pandemic, shocked and outraged the world. 1. Ahmaud Arbery ​ 8th May 1994-23rd February 2020 Who was Ahmaud Arbery? Ahmaud was a young Black man who had his whole life ahead of him. Ahmaud had recently graduated from a college in Atlanta and was training to become an electrician. His family said that Ahmaud enjoyed keeping fit and took regular jogs in the local neighbourhood. What happened? Ahmaud Arbery was jogging in February when he was confronted by Gregory and Travis McMichael. Mr Arbery was fatally shot during the confrontation. More than two months later, the two men were arrested, as was the neighbour who filmed the death. The men who murdered Ahmaud were only arrested as a result of the footage of the murder being posted online and campaigns on social media calling for their immediate arrest. Following on from Ahmaud’s death, many people around the world ran 2.23 miles as a mark of respect and posted their runs on social media using the hashtag #irunwithmaud. Have the murderers faced justice? Three white men – Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael and William Bryan – have been in custody since their arrests in June 2020. This means that they are currently being held in prison until their trial takes place. 4 They have been charged with (accused of) committing a hate crime as well as murder as the murder was committed because Ahmaud was Black. At the time of writing this the accused are still awaiting trial. Task B: 1. Do you think that the killers of Ahmaud Arbery would have faced justice if the video of the murder was not posted online? 2. Why do you think that some people were unhappy with the video being posted online? 3. Should videos showing actual footage of people being killed be banned from social media platforms such as Instagram? 5 2. Breonna Taylor ​ 5th June 1993-13th March 2020 Who was Breonna Taylor? Breonna Taylor was an emergency room technician, she was planning to go back to school to get a degree in nursing. Breonna’s sister Shanntelle describes her as a ‘young woman who loved life and the people around her, especially her family. She was bubbly and outgoing, but she knew when to be assertive.’ Breonna is also described as someone who knew where she was going in life and how she was going to get there by her aunt. What happened? Breonna Taylor was fatally shot by Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) ​ ​ ​ ​ officers Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison, and Myles Cosgrove on March 13, 2020. Three plain clothes (police officers not in uniform) LMPD officers carried out a no-knock search warrant ( this means that the police did not have to knock on the ​ ​ front door before entering Breonna’s apartment) entered her apartment while Breonna and her boyfriend were asleep. Breonna was shot 8 times while she was sleeping. Breonna’s boyfriend shot back at the police in self defence. Breonna’s family stated in July 2020 that Breonna was alive for at least 5 minutes after she was shot but none of the police officers on the scene attempted to help her or call an ambulance immediately. Have the murderers faced justice? At the time of writing, the killers of Breonna Taylor have not faced justice. People who have protested the murder of Breonna Taylor have been arrested yet the killers of Breonna Taylor are still walking free. 6 However there have been some changes: Firstly the Justice in Policing Act of 2020, a law containing ways to stop ​ ​ misconduct, excessive force, and racial bias in policing.The law would ban the use of ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ no-knock warrants . ​ Kentucky's (the state where Breonna was killed) Senator Rand Paul introduced the ​ ​ ​ ​ Justice for Breonna Taylor Act, which would ban the police from carrying out a ​ search until the officer explains who they are and why they are there. Breonna’s family believed that if she had known that the police were at the door and she had allowed them in rather than the police forcing their way in, she would still be alive. While these changes are a step in the right direction, Breonna Taylor’s life had meaning and she deserves justice for the life that was taken from her far too soon. Say Her Name There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the murder of Breonna Taylor. Firstly, the fact that at the time of writing (July 2020), the killers of Breonna Taylor have yet to be arrested even though their identities are known and they have not denied the murder. Secondly, the failure to arrest the murderers of Breonna Taylor has led many Black women to ask the question ‘Do all Black lives matter or just the lives of Black men?’ Many Black women feel that they are pushed into the background even though they suffer as a result of anti-Black racism as well. And thirdly and extremely worryingly, many social medias have been using Breonna’s murder as a way to get people to watch their channels and like their posts. For example they are posting a selfie and then using #justiceforbreonnataylor to get likes. The problem with this is that they are making the movement about themselves rather than keeping the focus on themselves. It also highlighted the fact that Black women are often forgotten about within their own movements. 7 Task C: 1. Find out three facts about the ‘Say Her Name’ campaign 2. Who was Sandra Bland and why is she important to the Black Lives Matter movement? 3. In your opinion what could be done to better protect Black women both online and in real life? 8 3. George Floyd ​ 14th October 1973-25th May 2020 Who was George Floyd? In his younger years George Floyd was quite troubled and committed a number of petty crimes, however once he was released from prison in 2013 he made a conscious decision to help other Black men avoid making the same mistakes that he did and he worked with the charity, Resurrection Houston as a mentor. George Floyd was also a family man and he had 5 children and 2 grandchildren at the time of his death. George Floyd’s life had meaning and value and he did not deserve to die in the way that he did. What happened? Mr Floyd bought a pack of cigarettes from Cup Foods, a grocery store and the cashier who served him thought he was trying to pay with a fake $20 The cashier called the police. The police officers who arrived on the scene were Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane and J Alexander Kueng. Derek Chauvin kneeled on George Floyd’s neck for nearly 8 minutes leading to his death. Throughout this ordeal Floyd was repeatedly heard saying ‘I can’t breathe’ and in his final moments he called out for his mother. The entire murder was filmed by a passer by. Many have asked why she did not try and help Floyd and she said in that situation she felt powerless.
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