JKM Library: Black Lives Matter: Black Lives Matter Organization

	: 2024-2025 Hours

"#BlackLivesMatter was founded in 2013 in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s murderer. Black Lives Matter Foundation, Inc is a global organization in the US, UK, and Canada, whose mission is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes. By combating and countering acts of violence, creating space for Black imagination and innovation, and centering Black joy, we are winning immediate improvements in our lives." ~ blacklivesmatter.com

Guiding Principles of BLM:

"We are expansive. We are a collective of liberators who believe in an inclusive and spacious movement. We also believe that in order to win and bring as many people with us along the way, we must move beyond the narrow nationalism that is all too prevalent in Black communities. We must ensure we are building a movement that brings all of us to the front.

We affirm the lives of Black queer and trans folks, disabled folks, undocumented folks, folks with records, women, and all Black lives along the gender spectrum. Our network centers those who have been marginalized within Black liberation movements.

We are working for a world where Black lives are no longer systematically targeted for demise.

We affirm our humanity, our contributions to this society, and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression.

The call for Black lives to matter is a rallying cry for ALL Black lives striving for liberation." ~ blacklivesmatter.com

What is systemic racism?

What is Systemic Racism? [VIDEOS]
Video series developed by Race Forward. From the website: "'What Is Systemic Racism?' is an 8-part video series that shows how racism shows up in our lives across institutions and society: Wealth Gap, Employment, Housing Discrimination, Government Surveillance, Incarceration, Drug Arrests, Immigration Arrests, Infant Mortality… yes, systemic racism is really a thing."
"What you need to know about systemic racism"
Article by Natasha Piñon on Mashable.com. From the article: "Mashable talked to professors Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, a Duke University sociologist who studies the collective and structural phenomena of racism, and Osagie K. Obasogie, a bioethicist at the University of California, Berkeley who has studied racial disparities in health, to break down what systemic racism means and how it can be dismantled."
What Institutional Racism Looks Like
Infographic sheet from University of North Carolina's Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute.
A Day in a Life: How Racism Impacts Families of Color [Infographic]
By Living Cities. From this website: "At Living Cities, we’re working to get dramatically better results for low-income people faster, particularly people of color. To do this work, we must be clear that racism isn’t limited to Tiki torches and small-town violence. There are both historical and contemporary policies and practices that continue to have disparate effects on people of color throughout their lives."

Get involved in local government:

Related local activist groups and organizations:

1Hood Media
From their website: "1Hood Media is a collective of socially conscious artists & activists who utilize art to raise awareness. The mission of 1Hood Media is to build liberated communities through art, education and social justice."
Access Mob Pittsburgh
From their website: "Better Accessibility. Better Pittsburgh."
Alliance for Police Accountability
From their Facebook: "The APA is a grassroots organization dedicated to criminal justice reconstruction, specializing in community/police relations."
Black, Young & Educated
From their website: "Black Young & Educated (A.K.A B.Y.E) is Pittsburgh's newest organization. B.Y.E was started by 5 teenagers, who noticed a lack off education and opportunities for youth in Pittsburgh. Mission: The Mission of B.Y.E is to educate minority youth on topics that affect their everyday lives, to give them better/more accessible opportunities, more productive things to attend in Pittsburgh, and support for anything they will need. End Goal: Our end goal is to lessen the amount of ignorance with issues such as systemic racism and colorism. We want to unite Pittsburgh Black community and create a support system among the youth that uplifts each other."
Book 'Em: Pittsburgh's Books-to-Prisoners Program
From the website: "Book‘Em is a non-profit organization based in Pittsburgh that sends reading and educational materials to prisoners across Pennsylvania. Our mission is to improve the quality of life for people incarcerated in Pennsylvania by providing free access to educational materials, books and resources."
Bukit Bail Fund
From their website: "The Bukit Bail Fund of Pittsburgh is a coalation of individuals and organizations striving to provide support for those incarcerated at Allegheny County Jail, located in Pittsburgh, PA. We hope to not just provide bail, but also to increase our capacity for supporting people after they have been released. We are working to get people released from jail as quickly as possible. We call for an end to cash bail in Pittsburgh and everywhere. We believe no one should be in a cage."
Pittsburgh UNITED
From their website: "Fighting for our homes, our jobs, and our water. Fighting for a Livable PGH for all.
Pittsburgh United is a coalition of community, labor, faith, and environmental organizations committed to advancing the vision of a community and economy that work for all people."
SisTers PGH
From their website: "SisTers PGH is a transgender centered drop-in space, resource provider and shelter transitioning program based in Pittsburgh, PA. SisTersPGH, Corp offers outreach, accurate transgender education, trans inclusion training, advocacy, and emergency housing/shelter for transgender people of Pittsburgh. SisTers PGH is a transLED, transgender community center, that provides supportive services, emergency shelter and housing for the trans and nonbinary communities of Pittsburgh, PA. SisTers PGH, also, trans inclusion training, advocacy, and People's Pride PGH while offering opportunities for our trans communities too thrive instead of survive. A primary function of SisTers PGH is to amplify the voices of trans people within conversations around housing access, art, city/state leadership, mental health support, medical care, employment opportunities, and education."
Take Action Mon Valley
From their website: "Our overall purpose is to equip communities with the necessary knowledge to leverage local grassroots community organizing, to gain power & influence over decisions that directly affect the community, thus creating sustainable change and increasing the conscious level of residents. Mission: Combat all forms of community violence through activism and organizing."
Thomas Merton Center
From the website: "The Thomas Merton Center works to build a consciousness of values and to raise the moral questions involved in the issues of war, poverty, racism, classism, economic justice, human rights, and environmental justice. TMC engages people of diverse philosophies and faiths who find common ground in the nonviolent struggle to bring about a more peaceful and just world."
What's Up?! Pittsburgh
What’s Up?! was formed in the fall of 2011, by a group of White-identified people studying anti-racism and participating in corresponding actions to challenge white supremacy. Their goals are to actively create a world that is liberated from destructive White privilege and oppression.

Mapping Police Violence

You will find more infographics at Statista