{"id":3959,"date":"2020-05-31T07:20:28","date_gmt":"2020-05-31T11:20:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hlsorgs3stg.wpenginepowered.com\/blsa\/?p=3959"},"modified":"2020-05-31T07:18:37","modified_gmt":"2020-05-31T11:18:37","slug":"black-lives-matter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orgs.law.harvard.edu\/blsa\/2020\/05\/31\/black-lives-matter\/","title":{"rendered":"BLACK LIVES MATTER"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Harvard Law School\u2019s Black Law Students Association (HBLSA) extends its deepest condolences to the families of <\/span>Ahmaud Arbery<\/b>, <\/span>Breonna Taylo<\/b>r, <\/span>Sean Reed, Nina Pop, Tony McDade, <\/b>and <\/span>George Floyd.<\/b> We acknowledge the unfathomable pain of watching a loved one\u2019s final moments. We know they are more than hashtags and headlines. We know they are deeply loved. We hold you in your healing from the death of your loved ones. They were taken too soon from you. We support you in taking your time and taking care. We hold space for your pain and your rage. We echo your calls for accountability and justice.<\/span><\/p>\n

HBLSA is in solidarity with the millions of Black people frustrated and enraged by a system that continues to disregard and devalue Black Lives. The United States has long borne witness to racially motivated violence towards Black people. These incidents cannot be divorced from the history of the perpetual subjugation of Black people upon which our nation stands. A tradition that is complicit in the deaths of <\/span>George Junius Stinney Jr., Emmett Till<\/b>, <\/span>Fred Hampton, 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing Victims, <\/b>Rodney King, and Kalief Browder<\/b>.<\/span> This pervasive and omnipresent system of state-sanctioned violence built upon the notion of Black criminality perpetuates the denial of Black humanity and our right to freedom. From \u201cStand Your Ground\u201d laws, the \u201894 Crime Bill, the <\/span>McCleskey<\/span><\/i> decision, \u201c<\/span>qualified immunity<\/span><\/a>\u201d defenses, to the consistent criminalizing of Blackness to bring about an onslaught of physical, emotional, and mental violence\u2014the United States denies Black people the right to bird-watch, jog, sleep, read, and worship in peace.<\/span><\/p>\n

The United States is witnessing uprisings all over the country. We recognize these as acts of rebellion against anti-Black violence that saturates us. Additionally, we are reminded of this moment\u2019s place in our nation\u2019s history; these uprisings are moments of unrest and resistance in the midst of 500 years of killing, torturing, and looting\u2013\u2013of Black people and indigenous peoples more broadly. In the words of Dr. King, \u201cA riot is the language of the unheard.\u201d In the spirit of the work of those like Dr. King, Angela Davis, Assata Shakur, and Malcolm X, we are concerned about the ongoing looting of Black communities by bailed-out billion-dollar corporations who impoverish Black and brown people and continue to evict them from their homes in a pandemic. We have had enough.<\/span><\/p>\n

As the COVID-19 brought the world to a halt,\u00a0 these deaths serve as a painful reminder of the United States\u2019 failure to address its history of institutionalized racism and pervasive anti-Blackness. This is a lethal reminder to reject complacency. This demands our attention and presents us with a fundamental crisis of consciousness. We must challenge our institutions, our progress, and our role in the fight for life and equity. We are required to learn from the past in order to move forward more united and inclusive. We demand the protection of Black queer, trans, femme, and system impacted lives. Hear the voice of the unheard. Hear their pain, their anger, their sadness, and their disgust. We must expand our understanding of justice and accountability to include an investment in Black life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now is the time to continue moving from education to action. The resources listed below are not exhaustive, but a springboard for you to take steps to participate in this movement for justice. <\/span><\/p>\n

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RESOURCES<\/b><\/p>\n

Please support the funds and organizations below dedicated to racial justice, liberation, and ending violence against Black people.<\/span>
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Education<\/b><\/p>\n

Book List:<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n