The criminal justice reformers promised to “redouble” their efforts to advance equality and left-wing political goals, including a fresh drive to defund the police.
“Today is our movement’s 10-year anniversary!” the group tweeted, accompanied by a celebration emoji.
The organization demanded that July 13 be legally declared as “Black Lives Matter Day” and stated that “10 years later, our vision hasn’t changed.” Police should be defunded. Invest in our neighborhoods.”
“We are calling for July 13th to be designated as National #BlackLivesMatterDay in order to honor the countless Black people who have been injured, attacked, murdered, and impacted by police and vigilante violence,” the organization said on Twitter.
The original tweet of the slogan was also published by BLM on July 13, 2013, the day Florida neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman was acquitted of the murder of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.
“People of color. I adore you. I adore us. “Our lives matter,” one of the three founders, Alicia Garza, had tweeted.
Fellow founder Patrisse Cullors, who was ousted after a series of scandals, used the #blacklivesmatter hashtag for the first time, saying that “black bodies will no longer be sacrificed for the rest of the world’s enlightenment.”
The tweets generated a chant that has now become commonplace at rallies around the country.
Despite a series of crises, including examination over $90 million in donations raised, that resulted in Cullors resigning in disgrace, BLM leadership insisted its mission will continue.
“This National Day, coinciding with our 10-year anniversary, serves as a reminder that not only will our work never cease, but that it is constantly evolving,” the organization stated on Thursday.
Local organizations intend to go much further.
“What this movement moment means is that we have to absolutely redouble our efforts and redouble our commitment to making black lives matter,” Melina Abdullah, director of BLM Grassroots Inc, a national organizing collective, stated.
“Ten years in, we’re getting a glimpse of what would happen if Black Lives Matter didn’t exist,” she added.
“We’re not going to fight just because it’s popular; we’re going to fight because we have to.”
In addition to attempting to designate July 13 “Black Lives Matter Day,” the organization declared this week the “Defund the Police Week of Action.”
“As we continue our push to defund the police, invest in Black communities, and reimagine safety in our communities, we need our elected officials to focus on the people, not the police,” BLM foundation board member D’Zhane Parker stated.
“The safest places in the world don’t have more cops, jails, prisons, or harsher sentences,” she remarked.
“They have better access to economic opportunities, high-quality education, stable housing, and health care.”
