In Search of a Critical Mass: Do Black Lives Matter in Criminology and Criminal Justice Programs?

The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement arose following the untimely killing of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed Black teenager, at the hands of George Zimmerman, a White man who was subsequently acquitted of all charges. BLM has again been propelled back into the global spotlight due to the highly publicized killings of George Floyd, Eric Garner, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Daunte Wright, and far too many other Black Americans. The atrocities perpetrated against Black people at the hands of Whites and police has reinvigorated a diverse coalition of advocates’ impassioned outcries for racial justice. BLM casts a critical focus on a historically uncomfortable reality that continues to plague Black lives—systemic racism. BLM brings heightened attention to the inequality and injustices that Blacks and other people of color routinely endure, despite more than 65 years of civil rights legislation.