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 In her decadeslong entertainment career, Jackson has been a vocal champion for social justice and has used her public platform and music to advocate for LGBTQ rights, women’s rights, and the Black Lives Matter movement. Koh Ewe, TIME, 23 Sep. 2024 Last year, the Oak Creek-Franklin School Board banned safe space signage for LGBTQ+ students, though a board member also raised concern about Black Lives Matter signs. Quinn Clark, Journal Sentinel, 16 Sep. 2024 Romero also cites a 2020 motivator for many Democrats that isn’t nearly as intense today: The Black Lives Matter movement spurred by the murder of an African American man, George Floyd, by a white policeman in Minneapolis, Minn. George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2024 By the summer of 2020, when Black Lives Matter protests were roiling America, Columbus had been reevaluated. Neal Rubin, Detroit Free Press, 15 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for Black Lives Matter 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Black Lives Matter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

2014, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Black Lives Matter was in 2014

Dictionary Entries Near Black Lives Matter

Cite this Entry

“Black Lives Matter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Black%20Lives%20Matter. Accessed 28 Sep. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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