People are celebrating the Nobel Peace Prize nomination for Black Lives Matter

Woman chants with a megaphone at the Black Lives Matter protest in Washington DC
Sophia Purdy-Moore


The Black Lives Matter movement has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. MP Petter Eide of Norway’s Socialist Left party nominated the movement for its contributions to raising awareness about racial justice issues across the globe. While the movement has been active since 2013, it regained momentum and worldwide recognition following the police killing of George Floyd in 2020.

The Black Lives Matter Twitter account acknowledged the nomination saying “We’re only getting started”:

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“So incredibly awesome”

Many people took to Twitter to express their happiness for the movement’s nomination:

One user simply said:

Others took the opportunity to highlight Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi, the three Black women who founded the movement in 2013, following the acquittal of George Zimmerman who shot and killed Trayvon Martin in 2012:

The right side of history

Despite the harmful narrative pushed by reactionary right-wing commentators, 93% of Black Lives Matter demonstrations “involved no serious harm to people or property”. Some Twitter users reminded those opposing the movement’s nomination of the backlash against Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1964 Nobel Peace Prize win:

“A powerful message”

In his nomination statement, Eide states:

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.

Others nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize include WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and Khalsa Aid founder Ravinder Singh. Meanwhile, far-right Norwegian MP Christian Tybring-Gjedde nominated former US president Donald Trump. Only national politicians can submit nominations to the Norwegian Nobel Committee. Nominations close on 1 February, and prize winners will be announced in October.
Featured image via Clay Banks/Unsplash

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