Process underway for official Black Lives Matter chapter in SC

The 'I Can't Breathe' SC group that organized the first protests in downtown Columbia following the death of George Floyd, is now transitioning to an official chapter of Black Lives Matter.

Columbia, S.C. (WOLO) — The ‘I Can’t Breathe’ SC group that organized the first protests in downtown Columbia following the death of George Floyd, is now transitioning to an official chapter of Black Lives Matter.

“It’s 2020, and a movement starts with a hashtag,” said Lawrence Nathaniel, founder of both Black Lives Matter SC (BLM SC) and I Can’t Breathe SC.

Although not yet an official chapter with the national Black Lives Matter organization, BLM SC is going through the process to be one of the first states in the South with an official chapter.

“There’s never been an official chapter that’s tied with national. And there’s only a few in the country, and none of them are in the South; except for Tennessee,” said Nathaniel.

Nathaniel says it’s all about changing the landscape of South Carolina.

“It’s about all of the counties in South Carolina doing it together and working together for a common cause,” said Nathaniel.

While there is the NAACP, it’s an organization that’s more often associated with older generations.

“So Black Lives Matter is our NAACP. I want to make sure that we have a platform here in the state for our younger folks. That’s one of the driving forces of changing ‘I Can’t Breathe’ to Black Lives Matter, because it resonates with the community and people know what it is and it’s a trusted name in the community,” said Nathaniel.

If you’ve been an active participant at any of the protests in Columbia, be sure to get tested for COVID. There have been confirmed positive cases amongst attendees.

“I always tell people that the reason why we was our there protesting and marching, and some of it are still out there protesting and marching, in the middle of a pandemic is because the reason outweighed the virus,” said Nathaniel. “And now it’s time for us to snap back to reality because thousands of people are getting sick, and hundreds of people are dying. We need to make sure that we take care of our communities as well, especially the community that we’re fighting for.”

Even if you can’t be out protesting, you can keep the momentum going.

“Now that you’re seeing that people are listening. But, do they hear us? That is why we are starting these movements,” said Nathaniel.

There is a push to be digitally right now to ensure people are staying healthy.

BLM SC officially launches July 25, but if you’d like to get involved you can click here for more information.