The hashtag #BlackLivesMatter was started in 2013 after Trayvon Martin’s killer, George Zimmerman, was acquitted of all charges. Three black women, Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi, started the movement and it continued to expand into a national and international movement to call attention to the injustices black people still suffer to day, and to bring about change.
For more information about the history of Black Lives Matter, check out these helpful resources: