BLM

Abbreviation with 2 meanings

BLM
Stands forBlack Lives Matter
Meanings2
CategoriesOrganizations & Companies, Government & Politics

BLM has two meanings. It stands for Black Lives Matter (nonprofit) or Bureau of Land Management (US federal agency).

Meanings of BLM at a glance

#BLM stands forContext
1Black Lives MatterOrganizations & Companies › Nonprofit
2Bureau of Land ManagementGovernment & Politics › US Federal Agency

1. Black Lives Matter

Organizations & Companies · Nonprofit Abbreviations

Decentralized social movement protesting police violence and racism against Black people, and the name of related organizations including the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation. It became widely known through mass protests in 2014 and 2020.

Example: BLM protesters marched through downtown after the officer was acquitted.

The phrase began as a hashtag in 2013, created by Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi after George Zimmerman's acquittal in the killing of Trayvon Martin. The 2020 protests after George Floyd's murder were among the largest in US history. The foundation's spending later drew scrutiny. In federal land management, BLM means the Bureau of Land Management.

2. Bureau of Land Management

Government & Politics · US Federal Agency Abbreviations

Manages about 245 million acres of public land, mostly in 12 western states, plus roughly 700 million acres of federal subsurface minerals. The Interior bureau leases land for grazing, oil, gas, mining and renewable energy, manages recreation and protects wild horses and burros.

Example: The BLM approved a permit for the solar project on public land outside Las Vegas.

Created in 1946 by merging the General Land Office, founded in 1812, with the Grazing Service, it is led by a Director. Its multiple-use mandate comes from the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976. In news about protests and social movements, BLM usually means Black Lives Matter.

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  • CAIR – Council on American-Islamic Relations
  • CAP – Center for American Progress
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More US federal agency abbreviations

  • BEP – Bureau of Engraving and Printing
  • BIA – Bureau of Indian Affairs
  • BIS – Bureau of Industry and Security
  • BJS – Bureau of Justice Statistics
  • BLS – Bureau of Labor Statistics
  • BOP – Federal Bureau of Prisons
  • CBO – Congressional Budget Office
  • CBP – U.S. Customs and Border Protection

See all 152 US federal agency abbreviations →