Controversy: The Black Lives Matter Movement

At Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana there has been protests about the Black Lives Matter movement. The Black Lives Matter movement “is a chapter-based national organization working for the validity of Black life” (Haki). The Black Lives Matter movement began in 2012. This movement is important because it is about equality. Equality is important because every life matters. The point of the Black Lives Matter movement is to show that one life does not matter more than another and that black lives just need some help and attention from everyone. So, to solve this controversy I am proposing raising awareness and small weekly meetings about the Black Lives Matter movement.
One solution for the Black Lives Matter movement is raising awareness.
My first proposal is to make t-shirts for students at Indiana University. According to Western Washington’s news forecast, teachers at a local school decided to all wear Black Lives Matter t-shirts to class. One of the teachers named JR Lorca said, “I think we are going to get some pushback from the t-shirts, but I think that is an invitation for families in the community that might not agree with us to come in and have a discussion with us” (Washington news). The word “invitation” is important in this quote because they’re catching the parents attention to come to the school to have a “discussion” about what the Black Lives Matter movement is about. After the “discussion” the parents will understand that the t-shirts are for a good purpose and help spread awareness as well.
First, students who volunteer to help create the t-shirts will make them say “Black Lives Matter at IU” printed largely on the front. The t-shirts will be red to represent Indiana University. The font will be bold and white with a black outlining to make the words stand out to show its importance. The t-shirts will also say “Ask me why” on the back of the t-shirts in the same font but the word “why” will be more bigger than the other words. That phrase will attract people who see their t-shirt and start a “discussion” as mentioned above. The students will then explain and more people will know about the Black Lives Matter movement and spread awareness by also getting a t-shirt. However, to be able to get these t-shirts IU students will set up a board with a brief explanation of what the Black Lives Matter movement is all about and the idea of making t-shirts for the students to wear on campus. Along with that board can be two students sitting at a table by the board to answer any questions. The two students at the table will already have their own t-shirts made to give others an idea of what they would look like. The students can be anyone who volunteers to sit at the table and can choose either in the morning or afternoon. There
will be rotations so that they will not be outside for hours. The students at the table will have a signup sheet for every student who wants to receive an email when the t-shirts are made.The students will also have a small bucket to collect any donations from students who will like to receive a t-shirt. The bucket will be decorated in red with the phrase “Black Lives Matter” and will be accepting donations for two weeks to have enough for everyone who is interested in a t-shirt. Then, after collecting the money for the t-shirts they will be made at a local t-shirt shop. Finally, send out an email to every student who donated so that they will be the first ones to get their t-shirt.
My second solution is bringing a lot of IU students with different ethnicities and opinions together.
My next proposal is to make small Black Lives Matter gatherings for IU students. According to Dallas News, there was a protest in Dallas and the protesters, counter protesters, and officers came together and formed a prayer circle. A police sergeant named Hall said, “Makes me feel great to see people with such differences come together and work it out.” The word “differences” show that people can come together even though they are not exactly the same. The “differences” do not have to be physically different but can also be mentally different. Mentally different as in people with different opinions about the Black Lives Matter movement. First, the speaker of these gatherings will be someone who is well aware of the Black Matter Movement. The speaker can be anyone who volunteers and is interested about the topic. The speaker will just ask about thoughts and opinions. The gatherings will be lead by everyone who has something to share. The small meetings will not be like a classroom lectured by just one person. Also, the small meetings will not just have one person speaking because the students will easily get bored and distracted. The people who attend can share any opinions or ideas out loud or within their own group of friends. The point to be able to share with anyone around you is to get your word around and meet new people with “differences”. Next, these gatherings would
be held somewhere public for all IU students like their formal lounge every Tuesdays and Thursdays at seven o'clock in the evening for a hour. It will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays because students have less classes and to not interfere with their weekend plans. I also chose seven o’clock because that time is not too early or not too late. The gatherings will also only be for a hour because students have homework, but if a group decides to stay for a longer time they are more than welcome to do so. Then, to let everyone know about these gatherings there will be flyers in every housing. The flyers will be in all of them because every housing has their own formal lounge. Instead of walking to a different formal lounge that may be too far for some students. Then, the flyers title will be “Come together for Black Lives Matter at IU” in capitalized bold letters in color instead of black and white. The font will be in color because it will make the flyer stand out and catch others attention. The flyer will have a picture of different races forming a circle to show the diversity and the importance of unity between everyone. The flyer will also have the dates, time, and location of the gatherings. For example, if a flyer is placed in Teter the location will say “Teter’s formal lounge” and if the flyer is placed in Wright the location will say “Wright's formal lounge”, etc. At these gatherings IU students will be able to “come together and work it out” as said in the quote above. They will be able to “work it out” because they can all come up with an idea that can show other states that they can unite as well if they “come together”.
Even after a couple possible solutions for the Black Lives Matter movement there could still be some objections. Some students may find the small weekly meetings a bit of a problem. An objection can be that students are too busy with homework to attend meetings or that seven o’clock is too late to attend small gatherings. For students who may be too busy, it is okay to not attend a meeting. The small meetings are not mandatory. They’re for when students have time and are interested in listening to what is said about the Black Lives Matter movement. Students are not obligated to participate and speak their opinion. Students also have the option to just attend and leave whenever they want, instead of staying for the full hour.
Overall, the Black Lives Matter movement has brought a lot of attention to the public on social media, the news, and on campus. This is why I am proposing two solutions to clear up any controversy about the Black Lives Matter movement. I am proposing raising awareness by making t-shirts for Indiana University students to wear on campus. That way students are spreading awareness throughout their whole day by just wearing their t-shirt any day they’d like. I am also proposing small gatherings for everyone interested in learning about the Black Lives Matter movement and also speaking out their thoughts and opinions on the movement as well. The Black Lives Matter is really important because it started in 2012 and it is still having controversy after four years. So, it is necessary to start these solutions to solve the problem of lack of knowledge and awareness about the Black Lives Matter movement.