The Ebbing of the Black Lives Matter Movement

The killing of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, sparked a global movement against police violence and systemic racism. However, five years later, the movement that helped bring about unprecedented levels of awareness and action against racial injustice seems to be in reverse. Despite initial progress, including the passage of police reform bills and increased funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, the movement has faced significant backlash. The current climate has emboldened conservative forces, who see the shift as a necessary course correction away from "violence in the streets and crippling mandates that overburden police departments." However, historians and activists argue that this retrenchment is intentional and reflects a return to old power structures.

Key Takeaways:

• The popularity of the Black Lives Matter movement has dipped 15 percentage points from its June 2020 peak, with only a slight majority of the public still voicing support.
• President Trump's administration has implemented policies aimed at dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, targeting perceived racial preferences in academia and the private sector, and rooting out perceived "anti-white" discrimination.
• The Trump Administration has reduced funding for initiatives that promote racial justice and equity, with the Center for Antiracist Research at Boston University seeing a significant decline in funding from $79.6 million in 2021 to $4.7 million in 2023.
• Historians note that even when social movements are met with backlash, change is never fully rolled back, citing the example of the abolitionist movement and its eventual defeat by the Ku Klux Klan and the end of Reconstruction.
• Despite the setbacks, activists and historians maintain that the Black Lives Matter movement has had lasting impacts, including the implementation of police reforms, enhanced data collection on police brutality, and increased awareness about racial justice.
• The police reform movement has also inspired grassroots resistance, with some big-box retailers, such as Target, facing backlash for their diversity policies.

Statistics:

• Between 15 million and 26 million people participated in Black Lives Matter demonstrations or showed their support in the weeks after May 25, 2020.
• The number of Black people in top city jobs has increased, with Chicago's Black mayor praising the progress.
• Funding for the Center for Antiracist Research at Boston University declined from $79.6 million in 2021 to $4.7 million in 2023.
• Target's sales fell 3.8 percent last quarter compared with the same quarter a year ago, partially due to its retreat from diversity policies.

Sources:

• "The Trump Administration is tirelessly enacting policies to ensure America’s safety, prosperity, and success for all Americans," said Harrison Fields, a White House spokesman.
• "I don’t think that there’s something inevitable or cyclical about it," said Manisha Sinha, a historian at the University of Connecticut.
• "As far back as 1989, Mr. Trump said, “if I were starting off today, I would love to be a well-educated Black, because I really believe they do have an actual advantage.”"
• "I’ve tried not to take it personally," said Ibram X. Kendi, a professor at Boston University, whose Center for Antiracist Research at Boston University saw a significant decline in funding.
• "I know it has less to do with me and more to do with this attempt to make people like me, or the people who are doing the type of work that I’m doing, into these scary, harmful characters,” said Dr. Kendi.
• "People get silenced, and then before you know it,” he said, “we’re really back at a really bad square one.”"