Introduction to Black Opal

1. Organization of black opal The organization exists as a decentralized international network of local-based chapters. As of September 2020 there are 17 chapters in cities throughout the United States and Canada. Each local chapter must embrace the set principals of the BLMGNF but is allowed to organize internally however they please. Each chapter can form their own agendas with some being more radical than others. Local chapters are mostly funded via direct donations but can also apply for more funding from the BLMGNF. The BLMGNF itself is funded by donations and grants using the legal title Black Lives Matter Global Foundation, Inc, the organization is hosted on the donation platform Thousand Currents. The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation is a member of the coalition organization Movement for Black Lives. ------ 2. Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation of black opal The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation is a decentralized organization with multiple chapters based in various cities dedicated to organizing and continuing activist activities in the Black Lives Matter movement. The organization has no leader and most chapters act very autonomously. The organization is often mistaken for other organizations in the Black Lives Matter movement because it often solely employs the phrase "Black Lives Matter" as its name. While the BLMGNF often simply calls itself "Black Lives Matter" it is not the sole organization within the broader Black Lives Matter social movement. The organization was founded in 2013 by three female activists and currently serves as a loose network of activists within the Black Lives Matter movement. The organization is international and advocates for the eradication of systematic racism and to prevent police violence. ------ 3. History of black opal FormationAfter the 2013 acquittal of George Zimmerman in the killing of Trayvon Martin activist Alicia Garza would wake up in the middle of the night crying and decide to write about her emotions in a Facebook post. In the post she would comment she was surprised "at how little Black lives matter". The post would inspire Garza's friend Patrisse Cullors to create the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter on July 15th, 2013. Garza and Cullors would reach out to their associate Opal Tometi to help establish Tumblr and Twitter accounts using the hashtag and where users could share relevant personal stories. Garza put the "Black Lives Matter" slogan on signs and displayed them in a local shoe shop. Cullors led a march down Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills with the slogan on her sign. Eventually, the slogan and hashtag would gain popularity. The first chapter for the BLMGNF organization would be organized in Los Angeles in 2013 with the help of Melina Abdullah. The first chapter would comprise of 30 people, notably artists, students, organizers, and mothers. ActivitiesDuring 2014 protests in Ferguson Graza, Cullors, and Tometi organized "Freedome Rides" to Ferguson. 500 people would sign up travel to Ferguson in these "Freedom Rides". Protesters throughout Ferguson would adopt the slogan "Black Lives Matter" throughput the months-long protests. The organization's involvement in protests in Ferguson and the slogan's popularity brought the organization and the Black Lives Matter movement to national attention. Newfound popularity sparked a rise of other Black Lives Matter organizations that were independent of the BLMGNF, as well as new chapters of the BLMGNF forming in other cities. After the killing of George Floyd and later protests many people began to try to donate money to the BLMGNF but often accidentally donated money to a similarly named organization called the "Black Lives Matter Foundation". The BLMGNF would itself receive around 1.1 million donations averaging about $33 each after the killing of George Floyd. The BLMGNF would soon create a 12 million dollar fund to aid its local chapters activities and other independent grassroots organizations.