A strong court creates black activism

Since it began, the Movement for Black Lives, a coalition of 50 groups that includes the Black Lives Matter network, has not only attracted international media attention, it also garnered government scrutiny. In 2017, a leaked FBI report outlined what the bureau described as a growing threat of “black identity extremism” as a result of “perceptions of police brutality against African Americans.”

At least one black activist was designated a black identity extremist and arrested after he posted on Facebook expressing solidarity with a person suspected in the killing of a police officer. The charges were later dropped. News organizations also reported cases of FBI and local police surveillance and infiltration of black activist networks, including Black Lives Matter.

Amid this increasingly tense setting, some activists have been forced to rethink their strategy. Still, they’ve been able to effect local change across the country. As part of that effort, Reed and Action St. Louis organized for Wesley Bell, a black professor and former public defender who challenged St. Louis County prosecutor Bob McCulloch, a 28-year incumbent who led the probe of Michael Brown’s death.

Bell’s 2018 victory came amid the elections of other reform-minded prosecutors who are rethinking charges and sentences for non-violent crimes, like marijuana possession, resulting in the expungements of thousands of records. For instance, in the early days of taking office, Bell announced his office would not prosecute for possession of small amounts of marijuana

An ACLU analysis found that black people are 3.73 times more likely than their white counterparts to be arrested for marijuana. That same analysis found that marijuana arrests account for over half of all drug arrests in the U.S.

Black activists have also elevated conversations about prison bail reform and private prisons. But the influence of black activism goes beyond criminal justice. Racial disparities affect medical treatment, exposure to environmental toxins and voting access at large.

Cliff Albright is a cofounder of the Black Voters Matter fund, which provides resources and training to local advocacy groups. Albright believes the Movement for Black Lives has undoubtedly shaped conversations and down-ballot elections over the years. However, when it comes to the 2020 presidential primaries, he thinks voters are too fixated on electability.

“In some ways I feel like we’ve really taken a step back [nationally],” Albright said. “We just went through a couple years that were driven by issues and our passion to vote for folks that represented those issues,” Albright said. Now, people appear more concerned with who can beat Trump, rather than choosing a candidate whose platform best represents the issues they care about, Albright added.