Black Lives Matter

BLM

Historical Context of Black Murders by Police

The Black Lives Matter Movement was founded in 2013, however, violence against black communities and individuals, systematic racism, and white supremacy have been major problems worldwide for centuries. The National Use-Of-Force data collection shows that “Police officers fatally shoot an average of nearly 1,000 people annually in the United States, and Blacks, Hispanics, the mentally ill, and the poor are more likely to be shot by the police than whites” (Lyons 1). BLM was born out of a necessity to address and combat these…

Introduction

“Thus did my mother say and kissed me, / And thus I say to little English boy. / When I from black and he from white cloud free, / And round the tent of God like lambs we joy.”

At first glance, “Little Black Boy” written by William Blake may seem like a poem about a little African boy’s journey with Christianity, but is it just that? Over time there have been many written pieces that are aimed to crush racism but instead have the opposite effect. A common pattern is the use of an omnipotent and omniscient God that reinforces racial injustice. It isn’t including a…

Introduction

“Standing thus in repose…was Florence Nightingale– that Englishwoman whose name shall never die, but sound like music on the lips of British men until the hour of doom” (Seacole).

This quote serves to summarize the innate and problematic issues of systemic oppression as they were presented through the lives of both Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole, famous war nurses of the 19th century. 

First published in 1857, Mary Seacole’s memoir titled, The Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands, served to…

Introduction:

This gallery examines the history of cultural appropriation and how modern-day influencers are still exploiting Black culture. Blake’s poem “The Little Black Boy” is an example of cultural appropriation. According to Research in African Literatures by Paul Edwards, Blake’s poem has similarities to Ukawsaw Gronniosaw’s autobiography. Gronniosaw (also known as James Albert) was an African man who immigrated to Britain after being freed from enslavement. His autobiography states, “My dear indulgent mother would bear more with me than any of my…

“After abusing me with every ill name he could think of, (too, too bad to speak in England,) and giving me several heavy blows with his hand, he said, "I shall come home to-morrow morning at twelve, on purpose to give you a round hundred."-The History of Mary Prince: a West Indie Slave

In 1831 Mary Prince published her piece recounting her life experiences called, “The History of Mary Prince: a West Indie Slave”. In this narrative Mary Prince told of the horrors she suffered at the hands of the many slave masters and mistresses she had been sold to and worked…

Many white abolitionist authors wrote about the slave trade, more specifically the slaves themsevles. These authors wrote on what they believe was how many black slaves actually felt. Not only that, but also the extent of the treatment they received from white owners. While many of these accounts were accurate to reality, they all missed one specific aspect: sincerity. These authors that wrote on slavery were never slaves themselves, thus the power behind these works of art were diminished by the fact that the authors never endured the true brutality of slavery. 

This image…