WHEREAS, In May 2020, amid a global pandemic that shook the foundations of our daily lives, the brutal and public murder of George Floyd by a police officer sparked a worldwide outcry against racial injustice, leading Black Lives Matter to become the largest Black philanthropic organization in the world; and

WHEREAS, Before George Floyd, there were Oscar Grant, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Sandra Bland, Philando Castile, Stephon Clark, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and countless others whose lives were tragically taken, illuminating the persistent scourge of anti-Black violence and systemic inequity; and

WHEREAS, Within weeks of George Floyd’s murder, the United States witnessed more than 4,700 demonstrations in every state and across over 40 percent of its counties, marking it as the largest movement in the country’s history, with an estimated participation between 15,000,000 and 26,000,000 million people; and

WHEREAS, George Floyd’s murder, captured in a harrowing bystander video uttering the words “I can’t breathe,” galvanized the global Black Lives Matter movement, leading to solidarity protests in over 50 countries and igniting a social awakening around the world on issues of racial injustice and police brutality, marking the Black Lives Matter movement as the largest protest movement in history; and

WHEREAS, Nearly a decade ago, the Black Lives Matter movement began not just as a cry for accountability but as a robust advocacy movement for structural change, demanding reforms from body cameras to a transformation of the very architecture of public safety, moving from punitive measures to community empowerment; and

WHEREAS, Black Lives Matter is working for a world where Black lives are no longer systematically targeted for demise and where the lives of Black queer and trans folks, disabled folks, undocumented folks, folks with records, women, and all Black lives along the gender spectrum are affirmed; and

WHEREAS, The Black Lives Matter movement has grown into the largest social justice movement in United States history, with millions of activists, organizers, strategists, and community members across the globe participating in a Black Lives Matter protest over the last decade; and

WHEREAS, As we approach May 2024, marking four years of significant philanthropic leadership and almost 11 years since the founding of this pivotal movement, the need for acknowledgment and proactive change remains as urgent as ever; now, therefore, be it