Movement for Black Lives

The Movement for Black Lives (MBL) is a coalition of groups across the United States representing the interests of black communities. It was created in 2016 as a response to sustained and increasingly visible violence against black communities, with the purpose of creating a united front and establishing a political platform. The collective is made up of more than 50 organizations, with members such as the Black Lives Matter Network, the National Conference of Black Lawyers, and the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights.

On July 24, 2015 the movement initially convened at Cleveland State University where between 1,500 and 2,000 activists gathered to participate in open discussions and demonstrations. The conference in Cleveland, Ohio initially attempted to "strategize ways for the Movement for Black Lives to hold law enforcement accountable for their actions on a national level". However, the conference resulted in a much more significant social movement. At the end of the three day conference, on July 26, the Movement for Black Lives initiated a year long "process of convening local and national groups to create a United Front". This year long process ultimately resulted in the establishment of an organizational platform that articulates the goals, demands, and policies the Movement for Black Lives supports in order to achieve the "liberation" of black communities across America.

The organization's platform, entitled "A Vision for Black Lives: Policy Demands for Black Power, Freedom and Justice," has six "demands": 1) End the war on black people 2) Reparations 3) Invest-Divest 4) Economic justice 5) Community control, and 6) Political power. Each demand outlines the demands, the problem, the solution, and actions to be taken at local, state, and federal levels. The intention of the platform was to establish a unifying agenda that would provide advocacy groups with the necessary steps to transform the political, economic, and social circumstances of black communities in America. Although the Movement for Black Lives' platform was "launched in the context of the Democratic National Convention," the coalition seeks to implement and create their own change within American society as it recognizes that neither major "political party has our interests at heart." The Movement for Black Lives' platform contains over 30 policies aimed toward achieving the movements' objectives; furthermore, the Movement for Black lives has provided briefs explaining how individuals/organizations can get involved as well as the different levels of government through which the platform seeks to enact specific legislation. While the movement's platform largely focuses on the implementation of domestic policies that will advance black communities in America, the movement also recognizes "that patriarchy, exploitative capitalism, militarism, and white supremacy know no borders;" and thus, it is necessary that people acknowledge both the goals and demands beyond those represented by the platform's policies.

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