On July 13, 2013, George Zimmerman was acquitted in the killing of Trayvon Martin. In the days after the verdict, organizers Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi helped popularize “Black Lives Matter” as a slogan and hashtag, framing it as a response to anti-Black violence and lack of accountability.
On July 17, 2014, Eric Garner died during an NYPD encounter in Staten Island after an officer used a chokehold. Video of the incident spread widely, and Garner’s last words—“I can’t breathe”—became a rallying cry at protests and in organizing tied to Black Lives Matter.
On August 9, 2014, Michael Brown was fatally shot by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. Local protests quickly grew into a national wave of demonstrations and organizing that pushed Black Lives Matter into wider public view and broadened debates over police use of force.
On November 24, 2014, a St. Louis County grand jury announced it would not indict officer Darren Wilson in Michael Brown’s death. The decision triggered another round of protests across many U.S. cities and reinforced BLM’s focus on accountability in the legal system.
On March 4, 2015, the U.S. Department of Justice announced findings from civil rights investigations in Ferguson. The DOJ said it found a pattern or practice of constitutional violations by the Ferguson Police Department, shaping national conversations about municipal policing, fines, and discriminatory enforcement.
Freddie Gray died on April 19, 2015, after sustaining severe injuries while in Baltimore police custody. Protests in Baltimore grew in size and intensity, highlighting issues like prisoner transport practices, arrest policies, and community trust in policing.
On June 17, 2015, a gunman killed worshipers at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. The attack intensified national attention to racist violence and connected with BLM-era organizing that linked community safety to both policing and broader systems of racial harm.
On July 13, 2015, Sandra Bland was found dead in a Texas jail three days after her arrest during a traffic stop. Her death became a major focus of protests and advocacy, widening BLM-related attention to arrests, jail conditions, and how routine police encounters can turn deadly.
In early August 2016, the Movement for Black Lives—a coalition associated with the broader BLM movement—released a policy platform titled A Vision for Black Lives. It translated protest demands into a national agenda covering policing, courts, economic policy, and political power.
On August 26, 2016, NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick sat during the national anthem at a preseason game to protest racial injustice and police violence. The action helped push BLM-era issues into mainstream sports and workplace debates about protest and patriotism.
On March 13, 2020, Breonna Taylor was fatally shot in her apartment during a police operation in Louisville, Kentucky. Her death became a central case for 2020 protests, sharpening public attention on search warrants, nighttime raids, and accountability when civilians are harmed.
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer during an arrest, and video of the incident spread rapidly. Protests erupted across the United States and internationally, marking the largest and most sustained mobilization of the 2013–2020 BLM era.
On June 26, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a major federal reform proposal addressing issues such as chokeholds, standards, and accountability mechanisms. Although it did not become law in 2020, it showed how protest demands were being translated into national legislation.
Black Lives Matter Movement (2013–2020)