Black Lives Matter Movement Nominated for 2021 Nobel Peace Prize

There were a number of Black Lives Matter Protests during the summer of 2020, after the death of George Floyd.

Nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize have recently closed, and among them is an unusual candidate — the Black Lives Matter movement, which since 2013 has been a pivotal voice in the Black community nationally but in the past year has gained global recognition.

The movement was nominated by a Norwegian parliament member representing the Socialist Left Party, Petter Eide. Eide said in his official nomination papers that the movement forced other countries to face racism. Eide compared BLM’s work to both Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement and Nelson Mandela in the South African Anti-Apartheid Movement.

Andre Brown, editor-in-chief of Black Philadelphia Magazine, said although he does not have much experience working with the organization, he too agrees with its core principles of peace and anti-violence.

According to the Nobel Peace Prize’s website, “The candidates eligible for the Nobel Peace Prize are those persons or organizations nominated by qualified individuals.”

Beginning as a social media hashtag, after George Zimmerman was acquitted for the death of an unarmed black teen, Trayvon Martin, the movement began to function as an organization, with more than 40 chapters nationwide.