Black Lives Matter (U.S.)

American Political Movement, BLM

Last modified: 2024-01-27 by rick wyatt
Keywords: united states | black lives matter | blm |
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image by Tomislav Todorovic, 13 November 2019

• Overview of the Black Lives Matter Movement
• Black Lives Matter Movement - Variant #1
• Black Lives Matter Movement - Variant #2
• Black Lives Matter Movement - Variant #3
• Black Lives Matter Movement - Variant #4
• Other Flags used by the BLM Movement
• Flags used by Black Lives Matter Movement Opponents
• Sources
• Black Lives Matter flags in 2020
• Black Lives Matter sexual orientation flags

See also:

• Other forms of Lives Matter flags
• Political Parties and Movements (U.S.)
• United States of America

Overview of the Black Lives Matter Movement

The following presentation of Black Lives Matter will try to discuss all aspects of this vexillological phenomenon - not only the flags used by their supporters, but also those used by their opponents, being related in the way which allows, even requires such an approach.
Black Lives Matter (BLM) is an international activist movement, originating in the African-American community, that campaigns against violence and systemic racism towards black people. BLM regularly holds protests speaking out against police killings of black people, and broader issues such as racial profiling, police brutality, and racial inequality in the United States criminal justice system.
In 2013, the movement began with the use of the hashtag "#BlackLivesMatter" on social media after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of African-American teen Trayvon Martin in February 2012. First street demonstrations took place in 2014, following the deaths of two African Americans: Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri and Eric Garner in New York City. Since the Ferguson protests, participants in the movement have demonstrated against the deaths of numerous other African Americans by police actions or while in police custody. The originators of the hashtag and call to action, Alicia Garza from Oakland, California, Patrisse Cullors from Los Angeles, California, and Opal Tometi from Brooklyn, New York, expanded their project into a national network of over 30 local chapters between 2014 and 2016. The overall Black Lives Matter movement, however, is a decentralized network and has no formal hierarchy.
Since 2015, there were BLM activities in other countries, such as Australia, Canada or the United Kingdom. On the other hand, rise of the movement has also inspired the counter-movements whose accusations range from inspiring hostility towards the police in general to promoting anti-white racism (regarding the latter, it shall be noted that such accusations are typically cast by white supremacists upon their opponents). Other critics of the BLM include perceived lack of focus on interracial violence, problematic statements about Israel (accusations for Israeli "genocide" against the Palestinians) and insufficient focus on female victims. (source: Black Lives Matter at Wikipedia)

The most widespread BLM flag is black (as shown above) with the words arranged in three rows, BLACK and MATTER inscribed in white and LIVES inscribed in black upon a white panel as shown above [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]. While the typeface used is most frequently as shown here, it varies as well [8, 9, 10], but the text is always centered horizontally.
Tomislav Todorovic, 13 November 2019. (See Source listed below)

Black Lives Matter Movement - Variant #1

image by Tomislav Todorovic, 13 November 2019.
(image of described flag; derived from the SVG image of the logo from Wikimedia Commons.)

A much less used flag replaces black and white with yellow and black, respectively, uses a different typeface and aligns the text along the left-hand edge. All of its photos currently found on the Web are from the University of Dartmouth; they were taken in December 2016, so this might have been a unique appearance of the flag [11, 12, 13].
Tomislav Todorovic, 13 November 2019. (See source list below)

Black Lives Matter Movement - Variant #2

image by Tomislav Todorovic, 13 November 2019
(image of described flag; derived from the SVG image of the logo from Wikimedia Commons.)

Another rarely used design uses the typeface similar to the one most frequently used in the first design (see above), only a condensed variant, placed over the Garvey colors, each word centered upon a colored stripe. Its only photo currently available online was taken at the Norris University Center in Evanston, Illinois on 2017-03-03, so it might have been another unique appearance [14].
Tomislav Todorovic, 13 November 2019. (See source list below)

Black Lives Matter Movement - Variant #3

image by Tomislav Todorovic, 13 March 2020

The flag sold by the BLM online shop [15] is black, charged with the official logo of the movement: words BLACK LIVES MATTER in white, inscribed in three rows, and three yellow horizontal lines below. The logo has appeared at the BLM website in 2017, replacing the earlier version, which had had the words BLACK and MATTER in black on yellow and the word LIVES in reversed colors, the typeface and color set resembling those on several other BLM flags, only with two T's conjoined into a single shape [16]. Originally, the new logo had had all charges in black on yellow field [17], which was changed to current colors the next year, the home page usually displaying the version with black inscription and white field [18], reversal of what is used in the flag, but the shop offers the stickers displaying both versions of the logo [19, 20], suggesting that both of them are official. This flag still seems to be rarely used: the only currently known example of its use is from Burlington, Vermont, where it was hoisted in front of the Edmunds Middle School on 2020-02-05 [21, 22].
Tomislav Todorovic, 13 March 2020

Black Lives Matter Movement - Variant #4

image by Tomislav Todorovic, 1 December 2020

Another rarely used flag is derived from the most widespread flag by reversing the colors: white field, with the words arranged in three rows centered horizontally, BLACK and MATTER inscribed in black and LIVES inscribed in white upon a black panel; the typeface may be as shown here [23] or vary a bit [24].

Other Flags used by the Black Lives Matter Movement

Along with flags specific to the BLM movement there is also the widespread use of the Garvey flag and the USA national flag, which is usually hoisted upside-down as a symbol of protest. Other flags favored by the BLM movement include the African American Flag by David Hammons and the black and white variant of the USA flag introduced in the video for the song "Put On" by Young Jeezy and Kanye West. Flags designs specific to the movement have also appeared; their common feature is that they all carry the words BLACK LIVES MATTER.
Tomislav Todorovic, 13 November 2019

Flags used by Black Lives Matter Movement opponents

Counter-slogans like "All Lives Matter" or "Blue Lives Matter" have also been appearing on the flags, whose designs may consequently be considered as being counter-inspired, so to speak by the BLM movement. The increasing use of "Thin Blue Line flags" including the variant bearing the inscription "Police Lives Matter" is also a part of this trend. Other Thin Line flags' increasing introduction and use may thus be regarded as indirectly (counter-)inspired by the BLM as well.
Tomislav Todorovic, 13 November 2019

Sources

Black Lives Matter flags in 2020

When in May of 2020 a black American named George Floyd was killed during an arrest in Minneapolis protests against police violence toward black people quickly spread across the United States and internationally. In Minneapolis a white police officer knelt on Floyd's neck for nearly eight minutes as he cried "I can't breathe" until he died. A video of it went viral and an estimated 15 to 26 million people participated in the world wide protests against what was coined police violence towards black people. Spearheaded by the existing Black Lives Matter Movement (2013) the protest became one of the largest movements in United States history. They were soon advocating "defunding" the police and investing money directly into black communities and alternative emergency response models.

As these millions of demonstrators took to the streets in what organizers hoped to be peaceful demonstrations, violent and destructive agitators soon appeared and massive property damage and acts of vandalism occurred. The police responded and the stage was set. It seemed as though the world had suddenly woken to the systematic racism and how deeply rooted it was in society. New flags appeared, although massively out numbered by crude hand-drawn signs and placards. The raised fist symbol of racial injustice and protest appeared on these new BLM movement protest flags, some of which are depicted below.
Pete Loeser 5 August 2020

image by Pete Loeser, 5 August 2020

image by Pete Loeser, 5 August 2020

image by Pete Loeser, 5 August 2020

image by Pete Loeser, 5 August 2020

image by Tomislav Todorovic, 1 June 2022

This drawing is based on a Reuters photo. The caption read "A protester holds a Black Lives Matter flag as he wades into the waters of the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool as demonstrators gather for the 'Get Your Knee Off Our Necks' March on Washington in support of racial justice in Washington, August 28, 2020. Thousands of people gathered to denounce racism and protest police brutality on the anniversary of the march in 1963 where civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr made his historic 'I Have a Dream' speech. Photo by Tom Brenner, August 29, 2020."
Pete Loeser, 6 January 2021

image by Pete Loeser, 6 January 2020

This flag combines the "Black Power" fist in a centered but distorted white diamond shape with the white lettering BLACK LIVES MATTER on the black field.
Pete Loeser, 6 January 2020

image by Tomislav Todorovic, 1 June 2022

Another flag photographed in 2020, the photo being used to illustrate a news report from 2021, can be found here: https://www.oregonlive.com/education/2021/08/oregon-school-board-oks-ban-on-black-lives-matter-flags.html. It is another combination of the words BLACK LIVES MATTER and a fist, all white on black field.

A similar flag with reversed colors is offered for online sale here: https://flagsbythedozen.com/products/black-lives-matter-militant-fist-white-3x5-flag-rough-tex%C2%AE-68d-nylon but its use is still not verified.
Tomislav Todorovic, 1 June 2022

See also:

• Historical Flags of Our Ancestors

Black Lives Matter sexual orientation flags

image by Pete Loeser, 5 August 2020

image by Pete Loeser, 5 August 2020

image by Pete Loeser, 5 August 2020

A merging of the BLM with race, gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity movements has become apparent with some of these flag designs. This in addition to escalating violence between demonstrators, citizens, and law enforcement, the destruction of historical statues, all beginning to cloud the original message.

As more dissident and extremist groups begin to infiltrate the initial grassroots movement wanting to get their share of the national spotlight, the BLM Movement might be in danger of becoming so fractured it may falter, but not before generating a whole genre of flags.

See also:

• Historical Flags of Our Ancestors

Pete Loeser, 5 August 2020