5 BLACK LIVES MATTER

From Theoretical Conceptualization to Function-Based Real-Life Application

Abstract

As structural and local violence occurred against the Black community, in 2013 a new phenomenon was born. Black Lives Matter emerged as a hashtag and grassroots organization and has transformed offering a political interposition and theoretical framework to a global society. This chapter outlines the meaning and verbal behavior processes related to Black Lives Matter as both a movement and commonly tacted phrase. It details motivating operations and maintaining variables that may impact the meaning of the movement and observable behavior for individuals. It also discusses methods and provides suggestions for readers to live up to the credo and the political ideation in their everyday lives.

Keywords

Black Lives Matter

systemic racism

Ahmaud Abery

Breonna Taylor

George Floyd

Tony McDade

Trayvon Martin

Patrisse Cullors

Alicia Garza

Micheal Brown

Opal Tometi

Stephon Clark

verbal behavior

mand

escape

avoidance

attention

differential reinforcement

defunding

extinction

discrimination

microaggressions

reparations

slavery

domestic terrorism

redlining

equitable education

functions of behavior

functional analysis

verbal behavior

defunding the police

incarceration

Jim Crow

civil rights

police brutality

function-based intervention

About

Denisha Gingles

Denisha Gingles

Denisha Gingles is a passionate behavior scientist and master-level trained mental health therapist. Denisha is the Clinical Director and CEO of a group therapy practice in Baltimore that provides behavioral services to families, children, teens, and young adults. Ms. Gingles is a futuristic thought leader and liberation-centered clinician dedicated to collective social change and the creation of sacred spaces that promote wellness and awareness of self. She is a pioneer, integrating behavior analysis and social justice by unapologetically shining a light on inequities of the world, while simultaneously making it infinitely better, exuding integrity and authenticity. With the ability to be adaptable and flexible, Denisha stays true to her values and works to encourage all humans to bring attention to their own private self-defeating and community-hindering thoughts and overt behaviors, in the service of evoking committed action oftentimes outside of their immediate comfort zone. 

Denisha Gingles is a leading researcher and practitioner synthesizing social justice work with contemporary behavioral science. Ms. Gingles brings a rich experience in community organizing and activism to bear on evidence-based approaches to behavior change in the science of behavior analysis, incorporating innovative approaches to complex human behavior, such as relational frame theory and acceptance and commitment training. Ms. Gingles’ work takes a radically compassionate approach to igniting the behavior change needed to produce systemic social change in support of justice and equity. Ms. Gingles works tirelessly for social justice on multiple fronts, including community organizing, co-founding and producing the Beautiful Humans platform, providing professional workshops and trainings, scholarly writing, professional conference presentations at both the national and international level, and leadership in scholarly journals, including serving as Guest Editor for the Emergency Series on Police Brutality and Systemic Racism at the peer-reviewed journal Behavior Analysis in Practice.