THE Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement has been nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for championing an awakening against racial discrimination worldwide.
The BLM movement was co-founded in 2013 by Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi in response to the acquittal in the United States of a man who shot Trayvon Martin. It gained wider recognition in 2014 following protests over the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, and became an international focus in 2020 following the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
Petter Eide, a member in the Norwegian parliament, who nominated the group, said it deserved the award because of how the movement had “had a tremendous achievement in raising global awareness and consciousness about racial injustice.”
“I find that one of the key challenges we have seen in America, but also in Europe and Asia, is the kind of increasing conflict based on inequality. Black Lives Matter has become a very important worldwide movement to fight racial injustice,” Eide said.
The 61-year-old politician, who has been a member of parliament since 2017, said he didn’t want his nomination to be seen as interference in US politics. He also dismissed insinuations by Donald Trump, former US president, and right-wing politicians that the group had been behind some major violence in US cities.
“Studies have shown that most of the demonstrations organised by Black Lives Matter have been peaceful. Of course, there have been incidents, but most of them have been caused by the activities of either the police or counter-protestors.”
“There is actually a tradition for doing this, It’s a strong linkage between anti-racism movements and peace, and a recognition that without this kind of justice, there will be no peace and stability in the society,” he argued.
He stressed that “Awarding the peace prize to Black Lives Matter, as the strongest global force against racial injustice, will send a powerful message that peace is founded on equality, solidarity and human rights and that all countries must respect those basic principles.”
Nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize are accepted from any politician serving at a national level, and they are allowed in just 2,000 words to state their case. The deadline for this year’s submission is February 1, and by the end of March, the committee prepares a shortlist. The winner is chosen in October and the award ceremony is scheduled for 10 December.
Albert Luthuli and Nelson Mandela received the prize in 1960 and 1993 respectively for advocating against racial discrimination in South Africa, and Martin Luther King was awarded the prize for non-violent resistance against racism in the US in 1964.
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