2016 presidential candidates on the Black Lives Matter movement

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Date: November 8, 2016

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For information about Black Lives Matter under the Trump administration, click here.

This page was current as of the 2016 election.

Black Lives Matter is a social movement that developed in response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman for the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager, Trayvon Martin, in July 2013. Conceived by Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi, the phrase "black lives matter" emerged as a popular hashtag that online activists used to protest racial inequality and police brutality.^[1]^[2]

“	Black Lives Matter is an ideological and political intervention in a world where Black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise. It is an affirmation of Black folks’ contributions to this society, our humanity, and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression.^[3]	”
—Alicia Garza^[4]

Black Lives Matter activists protest in New York City in November 2014.

The death of Michael Brown, a black teenager shot and killed following a confrontation with a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, expanded the Black Lives Matter message from tweets to demonstrations in major cities in 2014.^[5] Although there was no central organization directing local activism, Black Lives Matter became a national network with 26 chapters.^[6] Speaking about the movement's leadership, Cullors said, "What we do is we support the chapters. We support their local demands and goals. They tell us what they need us to build support around."^[7]

Beginning in July 2015, activists from the Black Lives Matter movement began to engage with both Democratic and Republican presidential candidates by demonstrating at campaign events. Cullors told Politico in August 2015 that these disruptions were not done solely to engender policy change; activists also wanted to bring their message to communities unfamiliar with the movement's grievances. "This is a public display of the agony and anguish black people feel on a daily basis, and many of you don’t have to see it or deal with it or go home to it, so we’re going to bring it to you,” Cullors said.^[8]

See what the 2016 candidates and their respective party platforms said about the Black Lives Matter movement below.

Democratic ticket[edit]

Hillary Clinton[edit]

Leading Black Lives Matter activist DeRay McKesson endorsed Hillary Clinton in an editorial for The Washington Post on October 26, 2016. He wrote, "Clinton’s platform on racial justice is strong: It is informed by the policy failings of the past and is a vision for where we need to go. It acknowledges the need to establish new restrictions on police use of force and militarization, invest in treatment and rehabilitation as alternatives to police and prisons, and protect and expand the right to vote." In contrast, McKesson asserted, "Trump wants to take us back to a time when people like him could abuse others with little to no consequence, when people like him could exploit the labor of others to build vast amounts of wealth, when people like him could create public policy that specifically benefited them, while suppressing the rights and social mobility of others."^[9]

On September 21, 2016, Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook discussed Clinton's plan to implement a set of best practices to prevent police-involved shootings. According to Mook, her approach would be two-pronged. Mook told CNN's Alisyn Camerota, "The first is to have a set of national standards around how to manage the situations that doesn't exist right now and that could help through training to prevent situations like this." Mook continued, "The second piece is to restore bonds between communities and law enforcement, so investing in community policing and making sure that local police have the resources to build the resources in the community to prevent something like this from happening."^[10]

On September 20, 2016, Clinton said that there were "good, honorable, cool-headed police officers" working across the country but that "we can do better." She added, "We have got to tackle systemic racism." Discussing the police shooting death of Terence Crutcher in Tulsa, Oklahoma, she said, "This is just unbearable. And it needs to be intolerable."^[10]

In response to the police shooting death of Philando Castile, which was recorded and published in a Facebook Live video stream, Clinton tweeted on July 7, 2016, “America woke up to yet another tragedy of a life cut down too soon. Black Lives Matter.”^[11]

On October 30, 2015, Black Lives Matter protesters interrupted Hillary Clinton’s speech in Atlanta at a historically black college. After they were removed from the room, Clinton said, “I appreciate their passion, but I'm sorry they didn't listen because some of what they're demanding, I am offering."^[12]

Clinton met with Black Lives Matter activists on October 9, 2015, to discuss criminal justice reform and alternatives to law enforcement-centered policing of communities. An aide to Clinton said that she “reaffirmed her policy on private prisons and immigrant detention centers—she wants to end those.”^[13]

On August 11, 2015, Clinton met with representatives from the Black Lives Matter movement after she hosted and spoke at a forum on substance abuse in New Hampshire.^[14] The activists, including Daunasia Yancey, the founder of Black Lives Matter's Boston chapter, were denied access to the event because the room was at capacity.^[15]^[16] Clinton spoke with the activists for 15 minutes. Yancey said of the discussion, "I asked specifically about her and her family's involvement in the War on Drugs at home and abroad, and the implications that has had on communities of color and especially black people in terms of white supremacist violence. And I wanted to know how she felt about her involvement in those processes.”
- Although the Black Lives Matter members requested that the media not record the conversation, they filmed their own video of the exchange and released it on August 17, 2015.^[17] Clinton expressed her disagreement with the movement's approach. "Look, I don't believe you change hearts. I believe you change laws, you change allocation of resources, you change the way systems operate. You're not going to change every heart. You're not. But at the end of the day, we could do a whole lot to change some hearts and change some systems and create more opportunities for people who deserve to have them, to live up to their own God-given potential," Clinton said.^[16]^[15]
Read more of Hillary Clinton's public statements on 2016 campaign issues.

The 2016 Democratic Party Platform on ending systemic racism

“	Ending Systemic Racism Democrats will fight to end institutional and systemic racism in our society. We will challenge and dismantle the structures that define lasting racial, economic, political, and social inequity. Democrats will promote racial justice through fair, just, and equitable governing of all publicserving institutions and in the formation of public policy. Democrats support removing the Confederate battle flag from public properties, recognizing that it is a symbol of our nation's racist past that has no place in our present or our future. We will push for a societal transformation to make it clear that black lives matter and that there is no place for racism in our country.^[3]	”
—2016 Democratic Party Platform^[18]

Tim Kaine[edit]

Addressing a gathering of the National Urban League in Baltimore, Maryland, on August 4, 2016, Tim Kaine highlighted his work fighting "redlining," a practice used by banks to deny home loans to black mortgage applicants in some neighborhoods. Kaine also said, "If English lives in history matter, if Spanish lives in history matter, then African-American lives in history ought to matter to us too. African-American history matters because black lives matter."^[19]

In an interview following the National Urban League event, U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) said that Kaine "realizes the pain. He may not be able to fully feel the pain, but he realizes there’s pain. And I don’t know that Trump even realizes there’s pain with regard to the African-American community and what we’ve been through.”^[19]

Read more of Tim Kaine's public statements on 2016 campaign issues.

Republican ticket[edit]

Donald Trump[edit]

Read more of Donald Trump's public statements on 2016 campaign issues.

The 2016 Republican Party Platform on Black Lives Matter
The 2016 Republican Party Platform does not mention the Black Lives Matter movement.^[20]

Mike Pence[edit]

At a campaign event in Colorado on September 22, 2016, Pence discussed police shootings in Oklahoma and North Carolina. He said, “Donald Trump and I believe there's been far too much of this talk of institutional bias or racism within law enforcement. That police officers are human beings. In difficult and life threatening situations, mistakes are made and people have to be held to strict account. … we ought to set aside this talk about institutional racism and institutional bias.”^[21]

Pence has not said where he stands on the Black Lives Matter movement, but on July 8, 2016, he addressed events that thrust the movement into the headlines. After five Dallas police officers were killed and nine were injured by a gunman who told negotiators that he was upset about the police shooting deaths of Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Philando Castile in Minnesota, Pence issued the following statement: "Our condolences and prayers go out to the families of the law enforcement officers who lost their lives in the horrific ambush in Dallas last night. This cowardly attack is a national tragedy and the hearts of every Hoosier are in Dallas today. This attack on police officers in Dallas is also a heartbreaking reminder of the risks the men and women of our law-enforcement community take every day to protect and serve our communities. In the wake of this tragedy, we must be clear that violence and threats against law enforcement officers will never be tolerated and ensure that our police have the training and resources to defend themselves as they defend our communities. Our hearts also go out to the families of those who lost their lives in police shootings in Louisiana and Minnesota earlier this week. As we mourn with those who mourn, now is also a time for Hoosiers to humble ourselves and reflect on how each of us might build bridges of opportunity and hope in struggling communities across our state. To heal our land, we must stand with those who protect and serve and continue to reach out with generosity and compassion for those in need."^[22]

Read more of Mike Pence's public statements on 2016 campaign issues.

Green ticket[edit]

Jill Stein[edit]

On October 12, 2016, Stein tweeted, "Training police in the style of Israeli Defense Forces must end if we'd like to move away from occupation-style policing. #BlackLivesMatter."^[23]
Jill Stein took to Twitter to convey her thoughts on the police shooting death of Terence Crutcher.

On September 19, 2016, Stein tweeted, "The baseless assumptions and callousness towards #TerenceCrutcher before he was shot dead are indicative of systematic bias that has to end." She also wrote, "We need an investigation into the killing of #TerenceCrutcher at the hands of police. #BlackLivesMatter."^[24]
On September 21, 2016, Stein tweeted, “When police officers are being actively investigated for a civilian death they should not be rewarded with paid leave or desk-duty.” She also wrote, “Police forces should always be deeply reviewing personnel records and screening excessive force complaints of transferring officers.”^[25]

"For #BlackLivesMatter and racial justice issues, our campaign has been on the front line working with these communities. I've just come from San Francisco where I canvassed with two members of the 'Frisco 5' who conducted a 17-day hunger strike that actually got rid of the police chief. We need to challenge power if we are to really to create change.”^[26]
Read more of Jill Stein's public statements on 2016 campaign issues.

The 2016 Green Party Platform on racial discrimination

“

2. Racial Discrimination

a. The development of the United States has been marked by conflict over questions of race. Our nation was formed only after Native Americans were displaced. The institution of slavery had as its underpinnings the belief in white supremacy, which we as Greens condemn. In slavery's aftermath, people of color have borne the brunt of violence and discrimination. The Green Party unequivocally condemns these evils, which continue to be a social problem of paramount significance.

b. The community of people of African ancestry whose family members were held in chattel slavery in what is now the United States of America have legitimate claims to reparations including monetary compensation for centuries of human rights violations, including the Transatlantic slave trade now recognized by the United Nations as a "crime against humanity." As our Nation has done in the past with respect to the Choctaw, the Lakota, the Lambuth, and more recently for Japanese Americans and the European Jewish community, reparations are now due to address the debt still owed to descendants of enslaved Africans.

c. We commit to full and complete reparations to the African American community of this nation for the past four hundred plus years of genocide, slavery, land-loss, destruction of original identity and the stark disparities which haunt the present evidenced in unemployment statistics, substandard and inadequate education, higher levels of mortality including infant and maternal mortality and the practice of mass incarceration. We recognize that reparations are a debt (not charity) that is owed by our own and other nations and by the corporate institutions chartered under our laws to a collective of people. We believe that the leadership on the question of what our nation owes to this process of right ought to come from the African American community, whose right to self-determination and autonomy to chart the path to healing we fully recognize.

d. We understand that until significant steps are taken to reverse the ongoing abuses; to end the criminalization of the Black and Brown communities, to eradicate poverty, to invest in education, health care and the restoration and protection of human rights, that it will be impossible to repair the continuing damage wrought by the ideology of white supremacy which permeates the governing institutions of our nation.

e. While consensus is still evolving on what would constitute full and complete reparations, we support the following initial steps: We support the creation of a claim of action and a right to recover inherited wealth and other profits accumulated from the slave trade for the benefit of a reparations trust fund. We will initiate the repeal of the slave clauses that survive today in the U.S. Constitution. We will work to restore lands stolen through a variety of tactics including: violence, terrorism and the discriminatory access to operating capital that together has robbed black farmers and the broader community of their lands. We support the release of all political prisoners held by the USA. It is time that the political frame-ups, the prosecutorial misconduct and the racist application of police power that pass for justice in our country be buried and those victimized by these abuses of state power be given their lives back. We will support existing Historically Black Colleges and Universities, as well as new and existing Education and Development Funds.

f. We support efforts to overcome the effects of over 200 years of racial discrimination.

g. We call for an end to official support for any remaining symbols of slavery and specifically call for the removal of the Confederate battle flag from all government buildings.

h. We condemn the practice of racial profiling by law enforcement agencies, which are guilty of stopping m torists, harassing individuals, or using unwarranted violence against suspects with no other justification than race or ethnic background.

i. We favor strong measures to combat official racism in the forms of police brutality directed against people of color.

j. We support effective enforcement of the Voting Rights Act, including language access to voting.

k. We oppose discriminatory English-only pressure groups. We call for a national language policy that would encourage all citizens to be fluent in at least two languages. [See section K. Immigration / Emigration in this chapter]

l. We strongly support the vigorous enforcement of civil-rights laws, the aggressive prosecution of hate crimes, and the strengthening of legal services for the poor.^[3]

”

—2016 Green Party Platform^[27]

Ajamu Baraka[edit]

Baraka responded to the police shooting death of Terence Crutcher in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Twitter.

On September 20, 2016, he tweeted, "#TerenceCrutcher is indicative of a larger issue: US impunity and the continuation of human rights abuses @ home. #BlackLivesMatter."^[28]
On September 21, 2016, Baraka wrote, "State apparatus continues to prove that subduing supposed "criminals" seems to only be a priority for white suspects. #BLM #TerenceCrutcher."^[29]

In a September 19, 2016, interview with The Real News Network, Sharmini Peries asked Ajamu Baraka, "When you take the international convention on cultural and political rights, and the way in which the black power movement or the Black Lives Matter movement, is expressing itself, today, in this country, which is guarded by this convention, how do you see communicating with the public to inform that what Black Lives are doing and what the former Black Power movement have done in this country, are within their internationally protected rights?" Baraka replied, "That is part of the reframing. That's part of the redefinition of the work of social justice, here, in this country. That the social justice, human rights, and the movement for pro-democracy are all inter-related. In fact, they are part of the broader human rights framework. What we call, the people-centered human rights framework. That perspective, that language is what informs most of the radical movement in this country, particularly, with black folks. So, you see that for example the movement for black lives and the Black Lives Matter folks have all embraced using human rights language. Thats a good thing because, not only does it reframe the issues of the U.S. but it connects them to the entire world. We know that the human rights framework is the language of social justice thats used around the world. Thats part of the connection, part of traditional, black internationalism, if you will, that has been part of our movement here in this country. That reframing is important, more people understanding that they, in fact, have right beyond just the constitution."^[30]
Read more about Ajamu Baraka.

Libertarian ticket[edit]

Gary Johnson[edit]

On August 23, 2016, Gary Johnson appeared on "The Five" on Fox News. Johnson repeated an earlier admission that until recently he'd had his "head in the sand" on the issue of institutionalized racism in the criminal justice system. "The Five" panelist Eric Bolling said he was shocked to hear that Johnson had publicly expressed support of the Black Lives Matter movement and disagreement with the phrase "all lives matter." Highlighting the racial disparity in shootings, Johnson responded, "All lives do matter, but when it comes to whites, guess what? We’re not being shot at the rate of six times blacks are being shot at."^[31]

During a CNN Libertarian Town Hall on August 3, 2016, Johnson was asked what he thought of the Black Lives Matter movement. "What it has done for me is that my head's been in the sand on this," Johnson replied. "I think we've all had our heads in the sand. And let's wake up. This discrimination does exist, it has existed, and for me, personally, slap, slap, wake up."^[32]
Read more of Gary Johnson's public statements on 2016 campaign issues.

The 2016 Libertarian Party Platform on rights and discrimination

“	3.5 Rights and Discrimination Libertarians embrace the concept that all people are born with certain inherent rights. We reject the idea that a natural right can ever impose an obligation upon others to fulfill that “right.” We condemn bigotry as irrational and repugnant. Government should neither deny nor abridge any individual’s human right based upon sex, wealth, ethnicity, creed, age, national origin, personal habits, political preference or sexual orientation. Members of private organizations retain their rights to set whatever standards of association they deem appropriate, and individuals are free to respond with ostracism, boycotts and other free-market solutions.^[3]	”
—2016 Libertarian Party Platform^[33]

Bill Weld[edit]

During a presidential forum hosted by Fusion in August 17, 2016, Weld, praised the aims of the Black Lives Matter movement and said that people who say “all lives matter” are “fundamentally missing the point.”

When Fusion's Kim Brooks addressed the high rate of unarmed black men killed by police and asked if the candidates had a policy to address this issue, Weld said, “The answer to the question of 'do black lives matter,' is yes.” Weld added, “All lives matter is a dog whistle,” or, in politics, a statement that conveys one meaning to the general public, but intends a coded message for a certain group.^[34]
When Brooks pressed for policy details, Weld replied, “Well, this may seem a little bit off to the side, but I think part of the roots of the problem is in the educational system, and so many black males are getting social promotion, and graduating from high school when they’re not prepared to go to college. Or, they’re stuck in some inner-city school system that has terrible statistics, and there’s no charter schools, there’s no school choice so their parents can’t help them out.” Weld also described “a national emergency" that he said requires "a comprehensive solution and action by government” on education, incarceration, and unemployment rates for young black men.^[35]

Read more about Bill Weld.

Endorsements[edit]

On August 9, 2015, Black Lives Matter released the following statement stating it had not endorsed any presidential candidate:

“

At this time, #BlackLivesMatter does not endorse any presidential candidate. Moreover, we are not affiliated with a political party. Our work is not funded or driven by any political party nor is it influenced by local or national candidates.

As stated in our mission, #BlackLivesMatter is an ideological and political intervention; we are not controlled by the same political machine we are attempting to hold accountable. In the year leading up to the elections, we are committed to holding all candidates for Office accountable to the needs and dreams of Black people. We embrace a diversity of tactics. We are a decentralized network aiming to build the leadership and power of black people. We do not endorse any political party and we are not supported by any political party. Our political aims we’ve stated clearly.

Historically, all political parties have participated in the systematic disenfranchisement of Black people. Anti-black racism, especially that sanctioned by the state, has resulted in the loss of healthy and thriving Black life and well-being. Given that, we will continue to hold politicians and political parties accountable for their policies and platforms. We will also continue to demand the intentional dismantling of structural racism.^[3]

”

—Black Lives Matter^[36]

Withdrawn candidates[edit]

Democrats

Republicans

Recent news[edit]

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Black Lives Matter Presidential Election 2016. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

2016 presidential candidates on the Black Lives Matter movement - Google News

External links[edit]

Footnotes[edit]

[USAToday-1] USA Today, "Meet the woman who coined #BlackLivesMatter," March 4, 2015

[2] The Washington Post, "How Black Lives Matter moved from a hashtag to a real political force," August 19, 2015

[quotedisclaimer-3] 3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 ^3.3 ^3.4 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.

[4] Black Lives Matter, "A Herstory of the #BlackLivesMatter Movement," December 6, 2014

[5] CBS News, "How a death in Ferguson sparked a movement in America," August 7, 2015

[6] NPR, "The #BlackLivesMatter Movement: Marches And Tweets For Healing," June 9, 2015

[7] The Daily Beast, "Who Really Runs #BlackLivesMatter," August 15, 2015

[8] Politico, "Black Lives Matter isn't stopping," August 20, 2015

[9] The Washington Post, "DeRay Mckesson: Why I’m voting for Hillary Clinton," October 26, 2016

[Tulsa-10] 10.0 ^10.1 CNN, "Clinton plans to develop national standards to manage police shootings," September 21, 2016

[11] The Los Angeles Times, "‘Something is profoundly wrong,’ Clinton says after high-profile killings of black men," July 7, 2016

[12] Politico, "Black Lives Matter protesters disrupt Clinton speech," October 30, 2015

[13] Politico, "Hillary Clinton has 'tough,' 'candid' meeting with Black Lives Matter activists," October 10, 2015

[14] New Hampshire Public Radio, "Clinton Holds Forum On Drug Abuse in Keene," August 11, 2015

[Yancey-15] 15.0 ^15.1 New Republic, "Black Lives Matter Arrives on Hillary Clinton’s Doorstep," August 11, 2015

[HillaryCNN-16] 16.0 ^16.1 CNN, "Black Lives Matter videos, Clinton campaign reveal details of meeting," August 18, 2015

[17] Good, "Hillary Clinton to #BlackLivesMatter in Video, 'I Don’t Believe You Change Hearts...'," August 17, 2015

[18] Democratic Party, "The 2016 Democratic Party Platform," accessed August 25, 2016

[UL-19] 19.0 ^19.1 Politico, "Kaine accuses Trump of history of racism," August 4, 2016

[20] Republican Party, "The 2016 Republican Party Platform," accessed August 23, 2016

[21] CNN, "Pence: 'Too much talk' of institutional, racial bias in law enforcement," September 22, 2016

[22] IndyStar.com, "Pence: Dallas shootings a 'horrific ambush'," July 8, 2016

[23] Twitter, "Jill Stein," October 12, 2016

[24] Twitter, "Jill Stein," September 19, 2016

[25] Twitter, "Jill Stein," September 21, 2016

[26] OC Weekly, "Green Party Presidential Hopeful Jill Stein Wants to Let OC Know She'll Keep the Revolution Going," June 6, 2016

[27] The Green Party of the United States, "Platform," August 6, 2016

[28] Twitter, "Ajamu Baraka," September 20, 2016

[29] Twitter, "Ajamu Baraka," September 21, 2016

[30] The Real News Network, "Green Party VP Ajamu Baraka on Human Rights Violations in the United States," September 19, 2016

[31] Bustle.com, "Gary Johnson Defended Black Lives Matter On Fox News With A Trove Of Statistics," August 24, 2016

[32] Politico, "Gary Johnson admits blind spot on racial discrimination," August 3, 2016

[33] Libertarian Party, "Libertarian Party Platform," May 27, 2016

[34] Urban Dictionary, "Dog Whistle," accessed September 21, 2016

[35] Fusion, "Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson offers support for Black Lives Matter—and blasts calls for ‘all lives matter’," August 17, 2016

[36] Black Lives Matter, "#BlackLivesMatter Statement on Political Affiliations," August 9, 2015

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