Movement for Black Lives
Major protests and demonstrations
"the criminalization and dehumanization of Black youth across all areas of society"; capital punishment; money bail and court surcharges in court proceedings; "use of past criminal history to determine eligibility for housing, education, licenses, voting, loans, employment, and other services"; "the war on Black immigrants including the repeal of the 1996 crime and immigration bills"; "the war on Black trans, queer and gender nonconforming people"; "the mass surveillance of Black communities"; "the militarization of law enforcement"; "the privatization of police, prisons, jails, probation, parole, food, phone and all other criminal justice related services"; and "public jails, detention centers, youth facilities and prisons" in their present conditions. Reparations for the: "systemic denial of access to high quality educational opportunities in the form of full and free access for all Black people"; "continued divestment from, discrimination toward and exploitation of our communities in the form of a guaranteed minimum livable income for all Black people"; "wealth extracted from" the black communities "through environmental racism, slavery, food apartheid, housing discrimination and racialized capitalism in the form of corporate and government reparations"; "cultural and educational exploitation, erasure, and extraction" in the form of, among other things, "public school curriculums that critically examine the political, economic, and social impacts of colonialism and slavery"; and the demand the state and federal levels require "the United States to acknowledge the lasting impacts of slavery, establish and execute a plan to address those impacts". Invest-Divest: Reallocation of federal, state, and local government funds from "policing and incarceration to long-term strategies for education, restorative justice services, and employment programs." The decriminalization, immediate release, record expungement, and reparations for the disparaging effects of both the "war on drugs" and "the criminalization of prostitution" on black communities. "Real, meaningful, and equitable universal healthcare" A constitutionally protected right to a "fully-funded education" Divestment from the "use of fossil fuels and investment in community-based sustainable energy solutions." Cuts to military expenditures and a reallocation of those funds to "infrastructure and community well-being" Economic Justice: Redistribution of wealth through a "progressive restructuring of tax codes at the local, state, and federal levels." Employment programs that specifically target the "most marginalized Black people" in order to promote economic equality. "A right to restored land, clean air, clean water and housing and an end to the exploitative privatizaiton of natural resources." Right for workers to organize in both the public and private sector. Restoration of the Glass-Steagall Act. "An end to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and a renegotiation of all trade agreements" with an increased focus on the interests of workers and communities. Increased support for "the development of cooperative or social economy networks." "Financial support of Black alternative institutions." Increased protection for workers in poorly regulated industries. Community Control: Implementation of "democratic community control of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies." "End to the privatization of education." Communal participation in "budgeting at the local state and federal level." Political Power: "End to the criminalization of Black political activity." Termination of super PACs and the implementation of "public financing of elections." Establishment of "full-access guarantees, and protections of the right to vote for all people." "Full-access to technology" through the implementation of "net-neutrality and universal access to internet." "Protection and increased funding for Black institutions." On July 24, 2015 individuals from across the country gathered at Cleveland State University in response to incidents of police brutality targeting the African-American community. Specifically, the deaths of individuals such as Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Tamir Rice sparked a need for the conference among the African-American community. During the three day conference (July 24–26), activists participated in discussions, viewed short films, and engaged in workshops designed to mobilize individuals seeking to find solutions to the problems that black communities face. The Cleveland State University convention is considered the first major gathering of the Movement for Black Lives as more than 1500 individuals attended the conference. Subsequently, activists from the convention embarked on a mission to establish the official Movement for Black Lives organization as well as establish a policy platform that could guide activists from around the country in their fight to end police brutality and discrimination against blacks within the United States.
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