Teach-In Builds #BlackLivesMatter Awareness

On Feb. 3, the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSOS) continued to play a key role in fostering a significant series of public events centered on racism and related social issues with a Teach-In on the Origins of the #BlackLivesMatter Movement in the Art-Sociology Building. This event is the first of many planned for this semester semester, as a coalition of organizations including the Baha’i Chair for World Peace and the Critical Race Initiative are joining with campus-wide partners to host these events and encourage important dialogue.

Campus leaders including BSOS Assistant Dean for Diversity Kim Nickerson and Chief Diversity Officer Kumea Shorter-Gooden attended this first event, which was taught by Assistant Professor Kanisha Bond of the Department of Government and Politics, who provided a history of the origins of the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Dr. Bond also led an open dialogue on what we should and can do as a University community to participate in the movement.

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"1538","attributes":{"alt":"crowd","class":"media-image","height":"338","style":"width: 350px; height: 246px; margin: 5px; float: left;","width":"480"}}]]The significance of the event and of the movement were underscored by the standing-room-only crowd in attendance. The room was filled with students, faculty, staff, members of the College Park community and members of the University of Maryland Police Department.

In her remarks, Dr. Bond outlined the origins of the Black Lives Matter movement, tracing the related #BlackLivesMatter hashtag back to “three black, queer women”—Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi and Patrisse Cullors—who posted the phrase on Facebook in 2012. Since that time, the movement has gained significant public awareness and support, especially in light of the national reaction to the tragic shooting in 2014 of unarmed Missouri teen Michael Brown and the grand jury decision not to convict the police officer who shot him.

Dr. Bond also explained the differences between social media hashtags and marketing, and actual social movements. It comes down, she said, to personal engagement.

“This movement comes from everyone in this room. The movement comes from people,” Dr. Bond said. She added that participation “doesn’t always have to be grand. But in every action, there is power.”

For more information, contact blacklivesmatter@umd.edu or follow http://blacklivesmatterumd.tumblr.com.

Published on Fri, Feb 6, 2015 - 10:16AM