A Movement, Not a Moment

A Movement, Not a Moment

By: USD Black Student Union

The Black Lives Matter Movement was formed on July 13, 2013 by Alicia Garza, Patrisse Khan-Cullors and Opal Tometi. It was founded in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s murderer, George Zimmerman. Over the last seven years, this movement has been the “go-to” phrase for people to recognize the humanity of Black people in the U.S. and abroad. It has taken the shape of #BlackLivesMatter. 

The events over the last few months, including the murders of Black people such as Ahmaud Aubrery, Breonna Taylor, Sean Reed, George Floyd, Tony McDade, and countless others have brought to light state-sanctioned violence and police brutality toward the Black community. 

The Black Student Union at the University of San Diego supports the mission and purpose of the Black Lives Matter Movement for the following reasons. 

1. We believe that Black lives have in the past and are currently under attack through and by both systemic and individual racism. 

• One in every thirteen African-Americans has lost the right to vote due to felony disenfranchisement.
• African-American adults are 5.9 times likely to be incarcerated compared to whites. 
• As of 2001, one in every three Black boys will go to prison during their lifetime  
• Black high school students are 12.8 times more likely to be suspended than white students.

2. We believe that systems need to be reformed in order to remedy healthcare disparities. 

• Black women are 243% more likely to die from pregnancy and child-bearing related causes than white women. 
• The healthcare system needs to be reformed in order to protect Black women. Doctors, nurses, and others in the healthcare industry must be retrained in order to eliminate conscious and unconscious bias in medicine and health care.  

3. We believe that anti-Blackness is a global issue. 

• Anti-Blackness does not just exist within the United States. 
• Black people all across the diaspora experience anti-blackness. 

4. We believe in the power of intersectionality as a crucial component of Black progress.

• Black Transgender women have an average life expectancy of 35 years.
• Black Trans lives are often excluded in the struggle for Black lives, yet they have often been the backbone of social movements. 
• The recognition of these intersections such as race, class, gender, and sexuality is crucial in the struggle for Black Liberation. 

What can USD students do? 

1. Listen to and acknowledge the experiences of Black students, faculty and staff on campus 
2. Call out racism and anti-Blackness in your various peer groups 
3. Educate yourself through books, podcast, new articles and music 
4. Attend events related to social justice issues and eliminating racism

Why does this movement matter now more than ever?

As Black students at a Predominately White Institution, a lot of times we are tasked with the burden of educating faculty, staff, and mostly students on our experiences. While this may seem like a way to center the voices of Black students, it also is a heavy burden that many of us did not ask for. 

Black lives have always mattered, even if there’s now a formal movement. This movement did not appear out of nowhere in 2020 — but has been around for much longer and has been telling the world that Black Lives Matter. 

As Black students at USD, we make up a very small percentage of the population. We are grossly outnumbered in the classrooms and oftentimes become tokenized. When anti-Blackness occurs at USD such as the whiteatUSD Instagram page, for many Black students this page was a blatant attack upon us and told us that we are not welcome at USD. It is crucial that USD students educate themselves on Black issues and do more than just performative activism. Remember that Black Lives Matter Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.

“The views expressed in the editorial and op-ed sections are not necessarily those of The USD Vista staff, the University of San Diego, or its student body.”