Learn about Black Lives Matter: Idioms, Phrasal Verbs, Books and Movies

Today’s lesson is about so much more than language. It is about culture and a moment in time that will reverberate (= be felt) throughout history.

Language is key to understanding the events around the Black Lives Matter protests. We need to know the meaning of the phrases, and words we use to describe this pivotal (= extremely important) moment to comprehend (= understand) what is happening in America, but also to open our hearts and become better listeners. Only with an open heart, fully present in the moment can we make this world better for everyone.

Let me start by explaining a word that is key to understanding the multiple layers of what this movement is about: “to matter.” The Oxford Dictionary describes “to matter” as to “be of importance; have significance, as for a person “be important or influential.” 

So when you hear “Black Lives Matter”, it tells you a lot about the realities of racism. It means that “Black Lives” matter, too, just like other lives. It stresses that Black lives are important, too. That we even have to emphasize this says a lot.

When you watch the news, you probably also see phrasal verbs used on signs and in slogans. Some of these phrasal verbs are:

To step up: We need to step up (= dramatically increase) our efforts to raise awareness about the issues.

To step in: When you see someone being treated unfairly, you should step in (= intervene) and help.

To fight for/ against something/someone: to work towards something that you want to achieve. You can fight against racism; you can also fight for a better future for your children. You can fight against prejudice towards people from your country.

To stand up for someone/something: Nowadays, you see many people standing up for (=actively fighting for) their rights in the United States.

To stand up against someone/something: It is important to stand up against (= fight against) injustice.

To speak out against: Malcom X spoke out against (= publicly criticized) racism.

To speak up for/against someone/something: Angela Davis speaks up for (= publicly fights for) the rights of Black people affected by injustice.

Idiomatic expressions:

An important idiom centers around the word “voice”. “Voice” stands for “opinions, perspectives” connected with ideas of power in the sense of who do we listen to in society and whose “voices count”. Some examples of how we use this are “to make your voices heard”, “to raise your voice”, and “to listen to the voices of others”.

Another useful idiom is “to take a stand against something or in favor of something”. This idiom is related to the phrasal verb “to stand up against/for something”. It means that when you take a stand, you take a strong position against or in favor of something and speak out publicly through actions and/or words.

I strongly encourage you to learn more about this topic and to go beyond simply understanding the language but also the cultural and historical context of this moment in American history and the Black Lives Matter protests.

Documentaries I highly recommend are:

  • 13th (2016), directed by Ava DuVernay
    Named after the 13th Amendment which abolished slavery in 1865, DuVernay’s documentary traces history from slavery through to the mass incarceration (= imprisonment) of Black people in the United States. The documentary explains why many people have been calling for reform against police brutality for years.

  • Stay Woke: The Black Lives Matter Movement (2016), directed by Laurens Grant
    This documentary describes the events that led to the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement with lots of interviews with different leaders, journalists, celebrities and scholars (= academics).

  • Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story (2018), directed by Jenner Furst
    This documentary series starts with the 2012 shooting of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman, and follows the history of the Black Lives Matter movement over six episodes.

  • I Am Not Your Negro (2016) directed by Raoul Peck
    This Oscar-nominated documentary is based on James Baldwin’s unfinished manuscript, Remember This House, and explores the history of racism through civil rights leaders like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King.

  • The Central Park Five is the story of five young men -- three of them African American and two of them Hispanic American--who were wrongly sentenced to prison for the assault and rape of a woman named Trisha Meili in Central Park. The Central Park Five, despite being only teenagers, were convicted even though there was no evidence. Once convicted, they spent 6-13 years in prison, when finally the real perpetrator (= person who committed the crime) came forward (=volunteered to tell the truth) and admitted to the crime. This documentary provides us with an analysis of the criminal justice system in the United States and how racism leads to an unfair disadvantage within this system towards Black and Brown people. Also please note that the Central Park Five case is very well-known in the United States. Merely mentioning this case evokes ideas about racial injustice in the criminal justice system. 

  • The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution is about the movement that emerged in response to police brutality and white supremacy during the 1960s.

  • Whose Streets? recalls the tragic death of Michael Brown, and the protests in Ferguson which spread all over the nation.

  • PBS’ Slavery By Another Name: The 90-minute documentary walks the viewers through American history explaining that while slavery was ending in the South in 1865, thousands of people of color were forced into forced labor.

  • The historical Documentary, “King in The Wilderness” shows the final 18 months of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life.

  • The Black Power Mixtape: 1967-1975
    With archival footage, the film tells the story of the anti-war and Black Power movements in the '60s and '70s.
    Gideon’s Army
    This 2013 documentary tells the story of three public defenders in the American South.

TV Shows:

  • “When They See Us“ tells the story of the Central Park Five; directed by Ava DuVernay

  • Seven Seconds (2018), directed by Yeena Sud. This Netflix series tells the story of a police officer who attempts to cover up (=hide) the death of a young Black boy.

  • American Son is based on a Broadway play starring Kerry Washington as a mother waiting for answers about her son’s disappearance at a police station.

  • America To Me - this series tells the story of one school year at Chicago's Oak Park and River Forest High School featuring interviews with students, administrators, and faculty. The documentary talks about the enormous issues with racism in the American school system.

Books:

  • The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander

  • Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-Winning Stamped from the Beginning by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

  • So You Want to Talk about Race by Ijeoma Oluo
    The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks about Race by Jesmyn Ward

  • The Origin of Others by Toni Morrison

  • Thick: And Other Essays by Tressie McMillan Cottom

  • I Am Not Your Negro by James Baldwin
    (Please note that the term “negro” is outdated and not used anymore nowadays. When watching historical documentaries and reading about the history of African-Americans especially before the 1960s, be aware that some terms you can find in primary sources from a long time ago are not in use anymore and are seen as offensive today.)

  • The Light of Truth: Writings of an Anti-Lynching Crusader by Ida B. Wells

Black and POC-Owned Bookstores in DC: 

Marike Korn