The phrase started in 2013, after George Zimmerman was acquitted of killing Trayvon Martin. Alicia Garza wrote "Black lives matter" in a Facebook post, and Patrisse Cullors turned it into a hashtag. It grew into a movement in 2014 after police killed Michael Brown in Ferguson and Eric Garner in New York. In 2020, after George Floyd was murdered, an estimated 15 million to 26 million people joined the protests.
Black Lives Matter never claimed other lives don't matter. It pointed to a gap. Black Americans are killed by police at more than twice the rate of white Americans (Washington Post). A common way to explain it is a firefighter on a street where one house is burning. Spraying every house because "all houses matter" means the one on fire keeps burning.
"All Lives Matter" spread around 2014 and 2015 as the movement grew. Some people say it because they sincerely believe naming one group is divisive, and some politicians faced backlash in 2015 for saying it at campaign events. But it's also been used to shut down any talk of racism against Black people (The Conversation). It builds on an old idea that people who talk about racism are the real racists (The Nation).
Support for the movement has shifted. In June 2020, 67% of US adults supported Black Lives Matter, and that fell to 51% by April 2023 (Pew Research Center). Five years after George Floyd's murder, support had leveled off at about 52% (Pew Research Center, 2025). But the gap the movement named is still here. So naming Black lives specifically doesn't take anything away from anyone else.
Common questions
Is saying All Lives Matter racist?
Many people who say it don't mean harm. But in practice it dismisses a specific problem Black people face, which is why it's widely seen as hurtful.
Who started Black Lives Matter?
Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi started it in 2013, after George Zimmerman was acquitted of killing Trayvon Martin.
What does Black Lives Matter want?
The movement and its local chapters have pushed for changes like ending cash bail, limiting police use of force and moving money from policing into community needs.