History Today: When the #BlackLivesMatter sparked a movement to change the world

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13-07-2025

On July 13, 2013, activist Patrisse Cullors — prompted by Alicia Garza's words — first used the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter, turning social media outrage into a powerful, decentralised movement. The slogan transcended Twitter, driving protests, policy debates and global reflection on racial justice — leaving an indelible mark on 21st-century activism read more
Black Lives Matter activists and supporters gather to mark the fifth anniversary of the May 25, 2020 Minneapolis murder of George Floyd, in Los Angeles, California, US, May 21, 2025. File Image/Reuters
As part of Firstpost's History Today series, July 13 is a date that resonates deeply across activism and culture.
In 2013, the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter first appeared, resulting in a global movement against racist violence.
Twenty years earlier, in 1985, Live Aid raised over $100 million for famine relief in Africa.
And in 2024, then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania.
#BlackLivesMatter debut
On July 13, 2013, a simple but powerful hashtag changed the landscape of modern activism.
When Patrisse Cullors created #BlackLivesMatter on Twitter, she sought to amplify Alicia Garza's Facebook proclamation — and in doing so sparked a global social justice movement that would resonate across decades.
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People take part in a Black Lives Matter protest in Oklahoma City. File Image/Reuters
In February 2012, Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old Black teenager in Florida, was fatally shot by neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman. Zimmerman's acquittal in July 2013 — citing Florida's 'Stand Your Ground' law — generated national outrage.
Alicia Garza responded on July 13, 2013 with a meant-for-internal Facebook post that resonated beyond its intention: 'Our lives matter, Black Lives Matter.'
Just hours later, Patrisse Cullors turned it into #BlackLivesMatter on Twitter, giving it global reach.
Within 24 hours, #BlackLivesMatter was used widely. Its strength lay in its direct yet open-ended statement: not 'all lives matter,' but a specific acknowledgment of systemic disregard for Black bodies.
The slogan shifted public dialogue toward racial justice and policing in the digital age.
By late 2013, co-founders Garza, Cullors, and Opal Tometi had formalised #BLM into a movement, highlighting not just protest but political education, community organising and transformative justice.
This new activism was decentralised, with over 40 autonomous chapters and hundreds of affiliated groups by 2020. Goals included ending police violence, electoral empowerment, economic equity and dismantling structural racism.
The first major protest under #BLM came in late 2014 after Michael Brown's killing in Ferguson, Missouri, by police officer Darren Wilson. Protests rocked the town, media coverage went global and the hashtag became a key rallying cry.
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Later, #BLM was central in protests following the deaths of Eric Garner, Freddie Gray, Philando Castile, Alton Sterling, Tamir Rice and others, broadening its message from policing to systemic injustice.
By 2015, #BlackLivesMatter had inspired global action — Algerians, Turks, Queensland Australians marched with the slogan. In 2020, George Floyd's murder in Minneapolis sparked the largest protests recorded in US history — over 15 million across 2,000 cities.
International solidarity came from London's Hyde Park marches to thousands in Bogotá, Delhi, Melbourne, Lagos, and beyond — affirming Black lives as a global moral cause.
BLM has impacted law enforcement and legislation. Local reforms included:
Ending no-knock warrants, chokeholds, and requiring police to intervene when peers used excessive force.
Cities like Minneapolis, Los Angeles and Seattle reviewed budgets and enacted greater accountability.
Federally, it spurred the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, requiring data collection, banning chokeholds, mandating body cameras and stripping qualified immunity from officers.
Economic movements within BLM have supported Black entrepreneurship and divestment from systems that benefit from inequality. Corporations and nonprofits pledged $10 billion for racial equity by 2020.
Cultural changes followed too:
Television and film saw more diverse representation, with pushback on police glorification.
Publishers prioritised racial justice titles, and historical monuments came under scrutiny — Confederate memorials removed from cities like Richmond and Atlanta .
Academia embraced diversity with curricular reforms and new research programmes on Black liberation, while universities faced student-led calls for renaming campuses and dedicating funds.
The movement confronted sharp opposition. Critics said 'All Lives Matter' trivialised BLM's specificity. Political backlash included defunding, anti-protest laws, accusations of disloyalty and censorship.
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Yet BLM held ground — garnering endorsements from civil rights groups, corporations, international bodies like the UN, and National Football League (NFL) players kneeling in protest.
The 2020 protests saw spike in online activism: #BlackLivesMatter trended on platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, triggering donor drives and online education as well as amplification of marginalised voices.
However, social media companies struggled with content moderation — some hashtags were throttled, others hijacked by hate, sparking debates over tech's role in public discourse.
BLM evolved into electoral influence, endorsing candidates, amplifying civic engagement among Black communities, and lobbying for voting rights — contributing to key 2020 election shifts, especially in Georgia and Michigan.
Critics within the movement cautioned against institutional co-option, calling for structural change rather than merely symbolic inclusion.
Ten years after its inception, #BlackLivesMatter remains a worldwide benchmark in hashtag activism and anti-racist mobilisation. Its legacy includes:
Legal reforms in police accountability.
Greater public understanding of systemic racism.
A thriving global movement spanning generations and geographies.
Institutional commitments to racial justice, tempered by continuous demands for deeper structural reform.
On July 13, 2013, when Patrisse Cullors typed the words into a tweet, few could have foreseen the depth and breadth of its outcomes.
Live Aid concert raises $100 million
On July 13, 1985, Live Aid mounted twin concerts at Wembley Stadium (London) and JFK Stadium (Philadelphia) — brainchild of Bob Geldof and Midge Ure — broadcast to an audience of 1.5 to 1.9 billion viewers in over 150 countries.
Hosted by Princess Diana and Prince Charles, the event featured iconic performances — from Queen's historic set to U2 and David Bowie.
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It raised over $100 million for famine relief in Ethiopia, shaping the template for global charity concerts. While praised for urgency and unity, Live Aid also faced critiques of cultural oversimplification and misallocation of funds.
Its success demonstrated music's transformative power in mobilising international support and remains an emblem of media-driven humanitarian activism.
Trump survives assassination attempt
On July 13, 2024, then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump was speaking at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old Pennsylvania man, opened fire from a rooftop with an AR-15-style rifle.
The bullet hit Trump in the ear; a Secret Service sniper neutralised the attacker within seconds, killing him.
Sean Curran and Secret service agents surround Donald Trump after an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania in July. File Image/AP
One supporter was killed, two others critically injured.
Trump later spoke at the Republican National Convention, debuting with a bandage over his ear.
With inputs from agencies