More than 1,500 black people from across the United States and abroad came together in Cleveland July 24-26 to harness the energy and power of the burgeoning Black Lives Matter movement into one moment. That moment would be known early on as the Movement for Black Lives Convening. Planning began in April as organizers from…

In the two years since its conception, the Black Lives Matter movement has transformed from a powerful, U.S.-based unifier to a globalized movement connecting black and oppressed people all over the world. After the acquittal of George Zimmerman in July 2013 in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, three black women created #BlackLivesMatter to…

“When rights are consistently denied, a cause should be pressed in the courts and in negotiations among local leaders, and not in the streets.” —Alabama clergymen’s letter to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. April 12, 1963 “You deplore the demonstrations taking place in Birmingham. But your statement, I am sorry to say, fails to…

We at The Root are honored to have Patrisse Cullors as guest editor today on our site. Cullors is an artist, organizer and freedom fighter. She is the founder of Dignity and Power Now, co-founder of #BlackLivesMatter, and director of truth and reinvestment at the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights. Her Facebook page says she’s…

As part of a Social Justice Institute on Poverty, Race and Sexuality, a town hall on faith and justice is under way at Boston University Thursday evening. The event honors the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Voting Rights Act. According to the Rev. Keith Magee, who organized the event, the town hall features…