Will the Black Lives matter movement create lasting change?

Encyclopedia of Opinion

Question: Will the Black Lives matter movement create lasting change?
Position1 of 2›: Yes, the #BLM Protests will create lasting change
Argument1 of 4›: It's not just a black movement anymore

“The long history of black folks in this country is conflict and struggle, between ourselves and the state and other interests within the society so that we can live free. And this is the first time that I think a lot of us have felt that the battle was legitimately joined, not just by white people but other people of color.” - Ta-Nehisi Coates, Vox

The argument

The Black Lives Matter movement was founded in 2013 by three black women and championed and supported mainly by Black Americans. The movement was cast off as radical and racially divisive. It is now a household name and the rallying cry of not just Black Americans, but the majority of all Americans. The vast majority of Americans seem to have woken up to the oppressive reality that Black Americans have been dealing with within the U.S for far too long. It's not that these protests against police brutality are new. But now, it is not just Black Americans advocating for themselves. People of all races, and most notably White people, are now showing a sudden and unprecedented willingness to march, protest, and advocate for Black lives. White-dominated sports like NASCAR and Major League Baseball have voiced support for Black Lives Matter. Media companies like Conde Nast and the New York Times have had racial reckonings in direct relation to the movement. High profile celebrities of all races have taken to social media and to the streets to protest racial injustice. Black Lives Matter has become a global rallying cry. It has spanned nearly every continent. Cities like Seoul, Belgium, and Sydney have had thousands of protestors show up in solidarity. A mural painting was done to honor George Floyd in Idlib, Syria. Protestors in London banned together to knock down statues of former slave traders. The Black Lives Matter is no longer a black movement. It is not even just an American movement. It is a global movement that has been joined by people of all races and backgrounds.

Premises

[P1]Black Lives Matter has grown from a movement led and supported mainly by Black Americans into a household name backed by a majority of Americans of all races. [P2] Institutions once outside the movement — white-dominated sports, major media companies, high-profile celebrities — have publicly aligned with it, and solidarity protests have spread across cities and continents worldwide. [P3] Broad cross-racial and global participation gives a movement the momentum needed to produce durable change. [C] Because it is no longer just a Black or American movement but a global one, the BLM protests will create lasting change.

Counter-arguments

While the Black Lives Matter movement has seen an uptick in support from people of all races and backgrounds, the movement is still a predominantly Black movement. The movement has received unprecedented support from companies, politicians, and everyday Americans. But those who join and support the movement at one point often choose to distance themselves from it or stop speaking up at another point. There are many who hail a social justice movement until it "goes too far" or starts making "unreasonable demands". Many who don't agree with violence and rioting see that some protesters are engaging in that behavior and choose to withdraw their support. Black Lives Matter is a predominantly Black movement because it has the unwavering support of the majority of the Black community, even in times of trial and tribulation. Black lives will always matter to Black people - not just sometimes, or once in a while, but all of the time.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] Breadth of support at a moment is not durability, and the premise measures the peak: polling support rose sharply in mid-2020 and fell back substantially within a year, which is the pattern that makes the inference to lasting change unsafe. [Rejecting P2] Statements by leagues, publishers and celebrities are low-cost declarations rather than commitments, and the reckonings cited were largely internal to those organisations — so they establish that the movement changed what institutions said, not that it changed what they or anyone else does. [Rejecting P3] The general claim is also doubtful on its own terms, since movements with enormous global participation have dissipated without durable outcomes; what predicts lasting change is institutional capture — legislation, litigation, contracts, budgets — and the premises offer none of it.

Proponents cited

Justin Hansford
“It’s now something where the Mitt Romneys of the world can join in, and that was something unimaginable back in 2014. That is the result of six years of hard work by people who are in the movement and have put forward so many discussions that really changed people’s hearts and minds.”
Alica Garza
“Seven years ago, people thought that Black Lives Matter was a radical idea,“And yet Black Lives Matter is now a household name and it’s something being discussed across kitchen tables all over the world.”
Abdul El-Sayed
“And finally, black folks have been concerned about radicalized police violence long before Floyd’s death—but what’s different this time is that white people are showing the willingness to both stand up against it and follow the lead of black community leaders and organizers.”