BLM joins the list of nominees, including Stacey Abrams, Greta Thunberg and the World Health Organization.
The global BLM movement was recently nominated for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. Norwegian Member of Parliament Petter Eide said he submitted his nomination of the movement “for their struggle against racism and racially motivated violence.”
“BLM’s call for systemic change have spread around the world, forcing other countries to grapple with racism within their own societies,” he stated in his nomination letter. Black Lives Matter was founded in 2013 after the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s killer, gaining traction as more and more protests were organized to recognize and broaden awareness of systemic racism and the countless deaths of Black people at the hands of the police.
The BLM movement reached a peak in 2020 following the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, which sparked protests across the globe and put the spotlight on some much needed conversations about reform. Since its inception, the organization has grown to a network of nearly 40 communities in the US, the UK, and Canada.
We hold the largest social movement in global history. Today, we have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. People are waking up to our global call: for racial justice and an end to economic injustice, environmental racism, and white supremacy. We're only getting started ✊🏾 pic.twitter.com/xjestPNFzC
— Black Lives Matter (@Blklivesmatter) January 30, 2021
“Awarding the Peace Prize to Black Lives Matter, as the global strongest 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,” said Eide.
Nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize can be made by a select group of individuals, including members of national assemblies and national governments, members of The International Court of Justice in The Hague, certain university professors, etc. (see the full list here).
Now that the submission deadline has passed (February 1), the Norwegian Nobel Committee will prepare a shortlist of nominees by March. In October, the committee will announce Nobel Peace Prize Laureates after a majority vote. The award ceremony is scheduled for December 10.