2010s
2010–2019Zoom in — years
Key events
- February 26, 2012The killing of Trayvon Martin
The shooting of an unarmed Black teenager and the later acquittal help spark Black Lives Matter.
- June 25, 2013Shelby County v. Holder guts the Voting Rights Act
The Supreme Court strikes down the VRA's preclearance formula, unleashing a wave of voting restrictions.
- July 13, 2013Black Lives Matter is founded
After George Zimmerman's acquittal, three organizers launch a movement and a hashtag.
- August 9, 2014Ferguson and Michael Brown
The police killing of Michael Brown sparks sustained protest and a national reckoning on policing.
- July 17, 2014The killing of Eric Garner
"I can't breathe" becomes a rallying cry after Garner's death in police custody.
- November 22, 2014The killing of Tamir Rice
A 12-year-old is shot by Cleveland police within seconds.
- June 17, 2015The Charleston church massacre
A white supremacist murders nine worshippers at Mother Emanuel AME Church.
- August 26, 2016Colin Kaepernick takes a knee
The quarterback kneels during the anthem to protest police violence.
- April 12, 2015Freddie Gray and the Baltimore uprising
Gray's death in police custody triggers protests in Baltimore.
- July 13, 2015The death of Sandra Bland
Bland is found dead in a Texas jail after a contested traffic stop.
Resources from this period
Books·5
Reframing US history around the consequences of slavery.
A National Book Award history of racist ideas in America.
Slavery and the making of American capitalism.
The definitive narrative history of the Great Migration.
Mass incarceration as a system of racial control.