ABSTRACT
With the acquittal of the murderer of Trayvon Martin, #BlackLivesMatter became a hashtag that called out to the masses in the Unites States to recognize that even though our (Black) lives don’t appear to be valued by others, we do matter. The killing of Mike Brown in Ferguson, Missouri showed the movement that is #BlackLivesMatter. Thousands came to Ferguson to protest the murder of another unarmed Black male. The movement has been in full force while calling out the continued injustices that Blacks experience in US institutions. Blacks are more prone to be stopped by police, Black women have the highest rate of maternal mortality, and Black babies’ infant mortality rate in the United States is comparable to third world nations. Equity and equality are not the same and we continue to see injustice through institutions that must begin to address equity. Equality is assuming everyone is starting at the same vantage point while equity acknowledges that historical policies and practices continue to negatively impact the minority communities.
