Trabalho de inglês – 11(13)/11/24

José. Juliana. Marta. Rita

Introduction

As far as our group presentation is concerned- Watch out, it’s our world – living in a multicultural world, we’ve
decided to talk about 3 change makers that made a difference in the black people community, by creating the
movement #BlackLivesMatter.

We have chosen it because even though we live in a technological world, filled with advanced technologies and
devices, we are still facing many serious human problems, such as racism.

Thankfully, there are still people who are brave enough to fight against these injustices and motivate others
to reach the freedom they deserve.
With this presentation, we’d hope to:
- Tell you a little bit about the three women who created the movement #BlackLivesMatter;
- Explain why they made a difference in the Black People community;
- Discuss the impact of their actions nowadays;
- Question the existence of racism in the world
Development

Before we talk about the Black Lives Matter movement, we want to share with you who were the three women
who created it. They go by the names of Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi.

Patrisse Cullors was born on June 20th 1983 in Los Angeles, California, where she grew up suffering racism and
discrimination because of her skin color. Those experiences made her become an activist, to combat that racism.
Due to the circumstances that she grew up in, she wrote a book, called When they call you a terrorist, where she
discusses those traumatic experiences, the impact of racism and her activism journey. She’s also an artist and uses
her talent to explore themes of black identity, liberation and justice. She has also been known by supporting the
Queer movement.

Alicia Garza, born in January 4th 1981, also grew up in California, more especially on OakLand, in a working class
family. Her father was Jew and her mother an African-American citizen. Just like Patrisse, she experienced racial
discrimination, which made her have an early interest on social justice and civil rights. She has a degree in
anthropology and sociology from the university of California. Besides the BLM movement she also founded the
organization BLACK FUTURES LAB, which aims to increase the political power of black communities in the
USA. In 2020, she published the book The purpose power: how we come together when we fall apart, where, like Patrisse,
Alicia shares her journey and reflection on activism and social organising.

the third co-founder of the BLM movement is Opal Tometi, born in August 15th 1984, a Nigerian-American
who comes from na immigrant family. The experience of living in an immigrant family gave her a unique
perspective on racism and xenophobia in the USA, especially in Arizona, where she lived. There, she gained a
degree in Communication and a minor in History. Besides the BLM movement, she has been involved in various
activities focusing on emigration rights, gender equality and social justice. Due to her hard work, she has received
several awards and honors, such as “100 th Most Influential People in the world”, by time magazine in 2017.
 Therefore, you may be wondering why this movement was created, and here’s why:

Basically, this movement started in 2013 with the murderer of Trayvon Martin, a 17 year old, who was shot in the
chest by George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida. Together, the 3 ladies created a Black-centred political-
movement-building project called #BlackLivesMatter, or BLM. The movement became even stronger when, in
2014, Mike Brown, another black teen, was also shot and killed by a police officer called Darren Wilson in the
state of Missouri. That same weekend, Patrisse organized a national caravan called Black Life Matters Ride and in
just 15 days, a plan of action was developed and successfully gathered over 600 people to occupy the territory of
St. Louis, where Mike had been murder, to support their brothers and sisters. During those 15 days, organizers
made two key commitments: to support the team on the ground in St. Louis, and to go back home and continue
to do that work there.
That inspired organisers from 18 different cities to develop Black Lives Matter chapters in their communities and
towns, broadening the political movement.

BLM is nowadays a member-led global network made of more that 40 chapters worldwide, and each of these
chapters works to support local isssues related to racial justice and equality.

The BLM has a website, that we would want to share with you:

(Mostrar website e falar acerca dele )

As we’ve been saying, the BLM has made it’s impact on our world, by:

- Raising awareness and Creating a Global movement

When the three changemakers created the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter, they transformed a single incident into a
movement that raised awareness of countless other cases of violence and discrimination. The hashtag became a
way for people to share their stories and experiences, which led to a mass of followers supporting the movement
through out social media. The countries where those protests were most visible were UK, Canada, Brazil, France
ans South Africa.

- Protests and Social Change

One of the most recent and significant impacts of BLM took place 4 years ago, in 2020, with the assassination of
George Floyd in Minnesota. Basically, George was in a supermarket and a police officer thought he was paying
with a fake note, so he stragled George for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, which ended up taking his life. That led to
a lot of protests that lasted online for months on end.

- Corporate and Organizational Responses

In response to the BLM, many companies and big corporations have reflected on their previous actions and
started to implement diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Besides, famous companies such as Netflix and
Google, have been known for donating money to racial justice organisations and promising more diverse hiring
practices. This support shows how the movement has influenced not only governments but also major
corporations and institutions.

- Changing conversations in schools and in the media

With the BLM movement, a lot of schools were and are having talks with the students about how it’s ok to be
different, about race and the history of racism, increasing it into their curriculums.
 We can see, that even online, the media has shifted it’s way to think and act, focusing more on issues of racial
justice.
By changing conversations in these fields, BLM has helped educate future generations about racism and has
empowered people to recognize and fight against discrimination.

Quando estivermos a passar as imagens dos protestos:

Since it’s creation, BLM has made a lot of protests though out the world, specially after George’s death.

It’s important to refer that the most iconic and biggest BLM protests happened on these cities:
- Washington DC - where people were seen, specially in 2020 after George’s death, to protest near the
White House;
- Porteland, Oregon – Portland saw over 100 days of protests and became a reference point due to the clashes
between protesters and federal agents
- Berlim, Germany – There, happened the biggest protest in Europe, which gathered 20,000 people on the streets
of the capital.
- Amsterdam, Netherlands – in Dam Square over 10,000 people gathered protesting against racial and
homophobic people.

Unfortunately, even with all these efforts that helped increase awareness and inspire many to take action, we can’t
deny that there’s still a lot of racism and discrimination in the world, specially against immigrants and refugees.

Statistics show that in Europe, immigrants from Africa face discrimination in employment and housing; In the
USA, black people have a bigger chance to be stooped by the police, being denied in job interviews and face
harsher sentences if they’re in jail.

With these in mind, we would want to share with your ways for you to help stop racism:

1. Speak up against racism

If you notice any racist behaviour, it’s important to speak up and report it. By doing so, you’re helping to
create an environment where racism isn’t tolerated, and people feel safe to stand against discrimination.
You can do that by calling out inappropriate comments, reporting discriminatory behaviour, letting people
know that those actions are unacceptable, inappropriate and can harm many others. Even small actions,
like showing help and support to targeted people and help shifting the culture around us can make a
difference.
You can also educate others about how racist actions and language are harmful, helping to build a more
inclusive and connected community.

2. Support diverse people

Supporting people from diverse cultures and backgrounds goes beyond words: it envolves action. Actively
encouraging equality and being solidaty with others are some actions you can take.
Other things you can do to support those communities are supporting their businesses, attending events that
celebrate diverse cultures or volunteering with organisations that work towards racial equity.
 You can encourage your friends and family to do the same, by showing support and building relationships
with people from different nationalities, helping to break down stereotypes and creating connections that
strengthen communities.
3. Join a local/national/international non-governmental, governmental organization
Joining a governmental or non-governmental organization is also na excellent way to contribute to stop racism,
seen as those organizations work everyday to promote real solutions to solve racism, such as, supporting the
creation of new fairer laws, running education programs and, the most important, they support the people who
suffer racism and help them to overcoming. By becoming a member of one of those organizations, you’re helping
to change the way people still discriminate each other and, again, helping promoting an enviroment where
everyone is happy.

Here in Portugal, we have a non-governmental organization called “SOS Racismo”, which has been involved with
racism and xenophobia since 1990

Conclusão
, With this presentation, we have learned about the importance of Black Lives Matter and how it all started with
just three people—Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi—who wanted to make a difference. This
movement has shown us that change is possible when we unite for a greater purpose and speak out against
injustice.

Black Lives Matter has sparked a global conversation, inspiring communities worldwide to take a stand against
racial discrimination and police violence. Its influence has reached beyond protests, impacting social policies,
encouraging accountability, and driving meaningful discussions on equality and human rights.

This movement reminds us that even small actions can lead to powerful changes, motivating each of us to
contribute toward a fairer and more inclusive world.