Rhetorical Analysis of Alicia Garza’s Herstory

In “A Herstory of the #BlackLivesMatter Movement,” co-founder of #BlackLivesMatter Alicia Garza writes about the history of the organization/social movement, the movement’s objectives and core philosophies, and also where the movement fits into the history of social protest in America. Garza covers a lot of ground in a relatively short space, tackling issues as diverse as queer politics, the misappropriation and hijacking of the contributions made by women of color, and the importance of Black liberation for improving the quality of life for all Americans. Garza’s audience is non-Black, and likely predominantly white as Garza clearly differentiates between the “we” of Black women and the “you” of a presumably white audience. Although the article would be more effective if detailed data or statistics were used, Garza effectively clarifies the #BlackLivesMatter philosophy and responds to critics of the movement using rhetorical strategies like pathos, ethos, and logos.
Garza writes “A Herstory” to respond to attempts to appropriate the movement’s core slogan or even to say “all lives matter.” According to Garza, it is essential to draw attention specifically to Black lives. Writing to an audience Garza presumes to be white, the author points out that #BlackLivesMatter “doesn’t mean your life isn’t important—it means that Black lives...are important to your liberation,” (3). Liberation, freedom, and justice are the cornerstones of American society; Garza shows that when justice is miscarried, all Americans suffer by failing to realize the potential for improving quality of life throughout the country. Garza also explains that the killing of Trayvon Martin was the precipitating event for starting the movement, precisely because the case showed how a black life is viewed as dispensable. In the Trayvon Martin case, a white man was allowed to kill an unarmed Black man simply because he perceived him to be a threat, and then the judicial system failed by refusing to convict the killer. #BlackLivesMatter is a response to this and similar injustices.The author makes a point to say that #BlackLivesMatter is not just about police brutality but actually about all forms of institutionalized racism, unequal power structures, and discrimination.
One of the strengths of Garza’s article is the way the author puts #BlackLivesMatter into perspective, showing how the movement is both similar to but radically different from other social justice causes. #BlackLivesMatter is similar to other movements that draw attention to institutionalized racism or sexism, and aim to correct those problems through a combination of communication and political strategies. Garza shows how #BlackLivesMatter fits into the Black Liberation movement in general. However, #BlackLivesMatter differs from other movements in that it focuses on intersectionality and not just race. The founders of the movement are queer Black females who recognize how racism, sexism, homophobia, and other systematic discrimination prevents America from living up to its potential. Many readers may not have known about the feminist grounding of #BlackLivesMatter philosophy, and so will learn a lot about the way the movement intends to create meaningful changes in the society. It would be helpful if Garza had mentioned specific legal or legislative action being taken to advance the cause, but in general the article does a good job in showing why the movement exists. In this sense, Garza fulfills the criterion of logos in the article: using factual evidence and logic to make the argument.
“A Herstory” is more emotional than it is logical, though, as the author relies heavily on pathos as a rhetorical strategy. Writing still is key to embedding a sense of urgency in the argument. After all, Garza shows readers that people of color like Trayvon Martin are hurt or die on a regular basis because of the persistence of racism in America. Garza discusses mass incarceration and how innocent African Americans like Martin are branded and perceived as criminals just because of the color of their skin. Pathos is important for achieving the goals of the article, because Garza needs readers to feel motivated to support the movement or at least to have empathy for it and understand why the movement remains important. Ethos is also an important criterion for evaluation, and Garza achieves her rhetorical goals in part because she is a co-founder of the movement. In addition to having a high degree of credibility in speaking for #BlackLivesMatter, Garza appeals to the sense of morality and ethics that readers of The Feminist Wire will have for issues related to sexism and racism.
In fact, Garza’s article can be viewed as the textual counterpart to the image analyzed for Part One. In that image, people from different backgrounds walk together holding the banner for #BlackLivesMatter. The image uses nonverbal means of communication to show the reader that #BlackLivesMatter is about achieving social justice goals that improve the lives of all Americans. The image also substantiates Garza’s claim that it is important for all Americans who are committed to social justice respect #BlackLivesMatter by understanding its message and philosophy.
Garza ultimately urges readers to support the movement because it represents a fundamental shift in values and norms: one of the meanings hidden in the text. The suggestion is that by supporting #BlackLivesMatter, readers from all backgrounds can better understand oppression, power, and intersectionality. It is especially important to support #BlackLivesMatter to show solidarity with all social justice movements. Garza claims that persons in a position of privilege sometimes try to co-opt and take credit for the work that women and people of color do. Doing this belittles social movements and prevents them from gaining traction among a mainstream audience. For example, Garza states, “When you drop ‘Black’ from the equation of whose lives matter, and then fail to acknowledge it came from somewhere, you further a legacy of erasing Black lives and Black contributions from our movement legacy,” (3). If fulfilling the principles of equality and justice are part of the American dream, then all Americans need to recognize the value of Black contributions, the contributions of women, immigrants, and all other groups that do not have the amount of power or agency as wealthy white males. Working together to improve the status of people of color, of women, and of immigrants, all people contribute to the betterment of society.
Works Cited
Garza, Alicia. “A Herstory of the #BlackLivesMatter Movement.” The Feminist Wire, Oct 7, 2014. PDF.