Obama's Policy to aid people of colour:
In February 2014, Obama introduced 'my Brothers Keeper,' which aimed to focus on improving the lives of young African American males. Its aim to raise $200million through non profits in 5 years for young men of colour.
Trump's attempts to reverse Obamas policies:
In 2008, Obama used the word change as a sign of hope, an America whom elected a black man as president would be an America which has a future which is thrillingly different from the past. However in 2016, Donal Trump used the same sense of change as a threat, he has the voice of somebody who yearns to make America the way it was before, and wants to make it great again. He used this idea as an impulse to build a wall to keep the Mexicans out, a ban to keep muslims away and to provide the idea that Obama couldn't possible be a legitimate president. An America that would elect Donald Trump president was an America with a future which would be similar to their past.
The Trump administration withdrew from one of Obama's policy guidelines which encouraged the consideration of race in college admissions. The policies aim was to encourage colleges to voluntarily promote diversity and “avoid racial isolation” in their admissions practices.
What is the Black Lives Matter campaign?
How Did the Campaign Start?
The Black Lives Matter Campaign's mission is to build local power and to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes. The movement was born in 2013, after a white armed police officer, George Zimmerman shot and killed a 17 year-old African American called Trayvon Martin when he was on his way home from a 7/11 store, and was found not guilty. It became a popular hashtag when Alicia Garza, an activist, responded to the jury’s decision on Facebook with a post that ended: “Black people. I love you. I love us. Our lives matter.” The hashtag was born, and continued to grow in prominence with each new incident and protest.
Then, on 9 August 2014, a little over a year after Zimmerman was allowed to walk free from court, 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot dead by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. The officer had fired 12 rounds whilst Brown was unarmed. This was when the campaign became internationally recognised, following Browns death, a number of protests broke out, cars were vandalised and properties broken into. The drama came out on TV and police officers took to the streets in riot gear. Garza organised a “freedom ride” to Ferguson under the #BlackLivesMatter campaign, and over 500 people from 18 cities across America signed.
Campaign Zero:
In 2015, the Black Lives Matter movement launched Campaign Zero in attempts to make changes to policies and laws on federal, state and local levels. On their website, they say "We must end police violence so we can live and feel safe in this country," and "We can live in a world where the police don't kill people – by limiting police interventions, improving community interactions and ensuring accountability."
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