#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.

The women of Black Lives Matter are not bending to the demands of respectability politics. They are carving out space for black women to fight for justice. A growing number of Black Lives Matter activists—including the women behind the original hashtag—have been refocusing attention on how police brutality impacts black women and others on the margins of today’s national conversation about race, such as poor, elderly, gay, and trans people.

Compilation of reading and teaching resources intended to help you, your families, and colleagues/friends (better) understand and discuss the myriad ways white supremacy, structural racism, and systems of oppression affect our lives.

Born as a Twitter hashtag, Black Lives Matter has evolved into a potent alternative to the political paralysis and isolation that racial jus­tice proponents have faced since the election of Obama. In just over two years, the young move­ment has reinvigorated confrontation politics, giving voice to a popular and righteous rage, establishing a new touchstone of grassroots resistance, and ending the acquiescence that has crippled progressive forces in the age of Obama. The upsurge, which has centered on the crucial, galvanizing issue of police misconduct, also shows signs of addressing larger questions of social inequity. With continued momentum, Black Lives Matter may help reverse the coun­teroffensive against workers and people of color that has defined the long aftermath of the 1960s and 1970s liberation struggles.

A photographer at Fordham asked her peers to write down the microaggressions they've encountered. Here is what they had to say.

A colorblind approach allows us to deny uncomfortable cultural differences.

Why Fighting Microagressions can Feel Like Treading Water

SHARE has a dual mission of educating the community on the importance of our region’s African American heritage and fostering connections and conversations on race and providing awareness of racism and the broad societal benefits of its elimination. We engage in the research and documentation of the history of African American’s in Kalamazoo as well as acting as a clearinghouse for information on activities and services in our region that center on racial equity.

The Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership (ACSJL) is an initiative of Kalamazoo College whose mission is to develop and sustain leaders in human rights and social justice through education and capacity-building.

We envision a campus and world where: every person’s life is equally valued, the inherent dignity of all people is recognized, the opportunity to develop one’s full potential is available to every person, and systematic discrimination and structural inequities have been eradicated.

We are ISAAC! We are Christians, Jews, Muslims, Unitarians and Non-Religious. We are Black, Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander, Indigenous, Middle Eastern and White. We are Immigrants. We are suburban, inner-city and rural. We are haves, have-nots, and have-a- little-want-mores. We are bold, tenacious, and we don’t back down. We are Kalamazoo County!

The mission of ERACCE is to eliminate systemic racism and build antiracist multicultural diversity within Michigan institutions by providing education, networking, technical assistance, and supportive resources to the region.

3 1/2 MINUTES, TEN BULLETS dissects the aftermath of the murder of 17-year-old Jordan Davis and the trial of Michael Dunn who, in 2012, shot him repeatedly at a Florida gas station for playing his music too loudly.

Examines the pain and anguish that racism has caused in the lives of North American men of Asian, European, Latin and African descent. Out of their confrontations and struggles to understand and trust each other emerges an emotional and insightful portrayal into the type of dialogue most of us fear, but hope will happen sometime in our lifetime.

An Oscar-nominated documentary narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO explores the continued peril America faces from institutionalized racism.

Filmmaker Ava DuVernay explores the history of racial inequality in the United States, focusing on the fact that the nation's prisons are disproportionately filled with African-Americans.

Open-access reading and teaching materials geared toward robust global civic literacy and capacities for informed, ethical action that supports just, inclusive, and sustainable communities.

Created by the American Public Health Association