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Social Justice: Black Lives Matter

Start your Social Justice research here.

#BlackLivesMatter

The movement began in 2013 with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed 17-year-old African American student. Since then, it has grown into an international grassroots organization dedicated to the eradication of violence against people of color, race and intersectional-based discrimination of all kinds, and systemic racism. Founded by the originators of the hashtag, Alicia Garza, Patrice Cullors, and Opal Tometi, the organization operates without hierarchical leadership and largely relies on social media to organize protests and speak out, often in response to acts of police brutality against Black people.

Here you will find resources of varying formality related to Black Lives Matter and antiracism. The eBooks found here are available to the University of Detroit Mercy community via Blackboard login, while the other resources listed can be accessed freely online. There are many more resources available online, as well as in the Library. Also consider checking out related resources found in the Library's African American Studies and Race, Inclusion and Society guides, or Detroit Mercy's Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

If you have questions or need help finding or evaluating a resource, please contact a librarian

Open Access Scholarly Articles

Antiracism and Whiteness

eBooks

Book cover image is title imposed over photo of back of two people with their hands held in the air over their heads

The Making of Black Lives Matter

A condensed and accessible intellectual history that traces the genesis of the ideas that have built into the #BlackLivesMatter movement in a bid to help us make sense of the emotions, demands, and arguments of present-day activists and public thinkers.

More eBooks

Books in Print

Websites

Podcasts

Local Black-Owned Bookstores

While the Detroit Mercy Library should be able to provide our students, faculty, and staff with the information resources they need for their coursework or other research, inevitably there will be times patrons wish to purchase books that may or may not be available through our campus bookstore. While the Library does not endorse or promote any particular bookstore, here are some local Black-owned bookstores that sell titles related to Black Lives Matter and other related (and unrelated) topics.