How is Black Lives Matter Shaping Discussions in the 2016 Election?
As the 2016 presidential election draws near, the question remains:
What, if any, will the next president do to address racial inequality in the United States?
The issue regained national spotlight since the 2014 police shooting of black teen Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. One movement, Black Lives Matter, has picked up significant momentum following the killings of Brown and others across the nation, and the protests against police’s use of force on unarmed civilians.
For anyone following the election, Black Lives Matter is definitely a group to watch closely. Its momentum has spurred just about every candidate to address these issues. Prominent Democratic candidates are behind reform, and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fl.) stood out from the more crowded Republican field by acknowledging in late September the sentiments of marginalized communities.
Still, activists are not yet impressed by candidates from either side. The group announced Sept. 19 it will refrain from endorsing any of the candidates in the 2016 field, at least for now.
“What we’ve seen is an attempt by mainstream politics and politicians to co-opt movements that galvanize people in order for them to move closer to their own goals and objectives,” Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza
“We don’t think that playing a corrupt game is going to bring change and make black lives matter.”
What is Black Lives Matter?
Some in the media have referred to to Black Lives Matter as “a new civil rights movement.” But the difference between the movements of the 1960’s and today is that much of Black Lives Matter’s growth took place on social media.
In fact, the movement is commonly associated with the hashtag #blacklivesmatter, which was started in July 2013 by Garza and Patrisse Cullors. Both women were angered by the acquittal of Florida community watchman George Zimmerman, who had shot and killed an unarmed black teen, Trayvon Martin.
It has also caught steam following the deaths of Brown, Eric Garner in New York City, Tamir Rice in Cleveland Ohio, Sandra Bland in a Texas jail and Freddie Gray in Baltimore, just to name a few. Each of these individuals were either killed by police or died while in police custody.
Meanwhile, some conservative commentators have called Black Lives Matter a “hate group.” Opponents to the movement claim that Black Lives Matter promotes a radical outlook on race relations. Some critics created #AllLivesMatter as a counter hashtag and posted videos and statistics on black-on-white crime. Others came to the defense of police officers and the use of force.
Conservative pundits don’t seem to be fans of the movement. What about Republican candidates?
The first Republican debate lacked any dialogue about Black Lives Matter. Racial inequality has been a relatively lesser concern for the Republican candidates, who have yet to initiate any direct contact with the group.
In fact, many of the GOP candidates do not have a favorable opinion of the movement. In an interview with CNN, Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said he believes Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. himself would be “appalled” by the movement.
Neurosurgeon Ben Carson, the only black candidate in the race, accused the movement of “bullying.” He also said Black Lives Matters should have begun its discussions before the violence escalated following recent police killings and “de-emphasize” the racial aspect of the debate.
“Of course all lives matter … And you know, when we get off into a little thing that says, ‘no, this is the only thing you can say’ — that’s sickening to me,” he told CBS News in September.
On the other hand, Rubio, the freshman senator from Florida, stood out from the pack with a different reaction to the group. When speaking to Fox News about Black Lives Matter, Rubio said there is a “significant percentage of our population that feels they are locked out of the promise of this country.”
Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina also told Fox News she believes there is racial inequality, but maintained that “all lives matter.”
Right. So, what does Black Lives Matter think of the Democrat Candidates?
Although Democrats have been more vocal about race and policing than their Republican counterparts, they have not yet been able to sway the activists to their side. Some protesters have interrupted rallies of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to speak up more about their cause.
On Aug. 8, Sanders was interrupted for the second time by two protesters during a rally in Seattle. The protestors took the mic from Sanders and yelled into the predominantly white crowd, “I was going to tell Bernie how racist this city is, filled with its progressives, but you did it for me,” to jeers and boos.
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley took considerable heat from activists when he told protesters at a rally in July that “all lives matter.” His statement immediately drew some angry shouts from the crowd. O’Malley later withdrew his statement and apologized.
Clinton has held a private meeting with members of the Black Lives Matter Boston chapter Aug. 11 after activists confronted her at a rally. During this meeting, she argued that the movement couldn’t change deep-seated racism in America by moving hearts. Instead, she proposed, reforms should take place at the legislative level to “create more opportunities for people who deserve to have them.”
However, the activists were not moved. Daunasia Yancey, co-founder of the Boston chapter of Black Lives Matter, accused Clinton and her husband and former President Bill Clinton of enacting policies that caused mass incarceration across the country.
It’s not that protestors necessarily have a bone to pick with the candidates themselves, at least according to Cullors. She told POLITICO that the protests “aren’t aimed only at the candidates, but more so at the predominantly white crowds that come out to see them.” Cullors also said the candidates provide “a stage and an audience for the disruptors.”
So what do the activists want?
They’re keen on making sure police violence remains in the public realm of consciousness. Though many Republican candidates continue to turn a blind eye, but at least one Democratic candidate may have different views.
Sanders has tentatively redeemed himself in the eyes of Black Lives Matter. He has cited his civil rights background — he marched with Dr. King in the 1960’s — and told The Huffington Post that he wants to continue a dialogue with activists going forth.
He met with activists in Washington Sept. 16 to discuss the new #BlackLivesMatter plan, Campaign Zero, a 10-point agenda from the activists that calls for guidelines to end police brutality. According to the National Public Radio, attendees said Sanders was candid during the meeting and “open to being pushed.”
But they still expressed concerns that even Sanders’ idealistic views of helping black voters may be clouded by his background of running a predominantly white state of Vermont.
“Laws and policy must be changed,” Cullors told POLITICO. “If we continue to live in a culture that values anti-black racism, the policies that we create will be undone in decades, and we’ll be in this moment again.”
More Info:
- Newsweek: How Hillary Clinton and Other Candidates Talk About Black Lives Matter
- Vox: Marco Rubio Shows Other Republicans How to Respond to Black Lives Matter
- POLITICO: Black Lives Matter isn’t Stopping
- Gistory: Second GOP Debate: The Summary You Need to Read
- Gistory: Hillary Clinton: The Comeback Candidate
- Gistory: Marco Rubio: The Ambitious Freshman
- Gistory: Bernie Sanders: The Old Underdog
Brief contributed by Crystal Duan.
