Black Lives Matter Protests Amidst a Global Pandemic

• In Event: Social Movements and Parties, Crisis and Change

Abstract

The 2020 Black Lives Matter protests were among the largest protests in United States history. The protests were also geographically widespread and demographically diverse. What accounts for the size, breadth, and diversity of the protests? I argue that grievances based on the COVID-19 pandemic which was taking place alongside calls for racial justice, led many people who may have only been passive supporters to actively participate in the movement. Findings from two survey samples collected while the protests were taking place indicate that being negatively financially impacted by the pandemic was a strong predictor of protest attendance and social media support. Open-ended responses to why respondents attended the protests show that a substantial proportion participated for reasons other than racial justice and to combat police brutality. Moreover, the racial and political attitudes of these protest participants are different from other protest attendees. Thus, the pandemic contributed to the size, breadth, and diversity of the protests.

Authors

• LaGina Gause, University of California, San Diego

• Maneesh Arora, Wellesley College