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In response to complaints about this advert, the ASA said it considered that 100,000 was a large, round number that readers would typically associate with estimates. Photograph: Both Lives Matter/PA

Its a fairly large number, 100,000, but nice and round. Easy to compute. Most of us could even divide it by 10, at a push. Apparently it is this convenient roundedness that led the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) this week to dismiss complaints about recent claims on a billboard that Northern Irelands abortion laws have saved 100,000 lives. In its statement, the ASA said: We considered that 100,000 was a large, round number that readers would typically associate with estimates and was therefore unproblematic.

Funded by a campaign called Both Lives Matter, the billboard prompted 14 complaints, but the ASA decided that its assertion was not misleading despite the campaign admitting that it is not possible to calculate an exact figure, although its estimate is both credible and conservative.

It is not just the advertisement that is misleading and offensive, but also the very name of the campaign behind the billboard.

Describing itself as pro-women and pro-life, Both Lives Matter is a recent addition to the Northern Ireland anti-choice landscape, where abortion is permitted only if a womans life is at risk or there is a very serious risk to her mental or physical health. Fatal foetal abnormalities and pregnancies resulting from sexual crime such as rape or incest are not included.

And yet, somehow, in all its talk of both lives mattering during a crisis pregnancy, the campaign fails ever to mention the pregnant woman. What is happening to that persons life their body, their dreams, their finances, their mental health is, for a campaign seemingly more intent on oppressing women than liberating them, nothing more than a word association game meant to draw a provocative parallel with a real struggle for civil rights.

Playing on Black Lives Matter is not just cynical, its offensive. A campaign started by three black women Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi to highlight the gross injustice and racial dimensions of police brutality in the US, it owes much of its strength not only to the mothers of the men and women killed by police, but to women of colour writ large, who bear the brunt of Americas institutionalised racism and sexism. The concept of reproductive rights and reproductive justice, which goes far beyond the simple right to choose whether or not to continue with a pregnancy, is integral to Black Lives Matter, because it also means the right to parent your child in a safe environment without fear something consistently denied to black families by police and institutional injustice.

Defined by the Sister Song Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective as the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities, reproductive justice as a concept was developed by women of colour who saw many of their communities challenged not just by an absence of accessible abortion, but by poverty, racism and discrimination.

It is often poor women of colour whose access to reproductive healthcare is most affected by anti-abortion laws in states such as Texas, where the recent HB2 law increased the distance to the nearest abortion clinic by more than 100 miles in some places. This can be an insurmountable burden for women with low incomes, often women of colour, and is a pattern being repeated across America.

Concepts such as reproductive justice and campaigns such as Black Lives Matter are a response to oppression and domination. There are parallels to be drawn with abortion access in Northern Ireland, but it is not the one that anti-abortion protesters attempt to make. Rather, it is an understanding of how human rights might be used to liberate communities, rather than excuse and justify their oppression.

The hijacking of such a powerful concept by the Both Lives Matter campaign is a cynical attempt to spin the language of human rights into froth to hide their true agenda the subjugation of women. An appropriation of intersecting oppressions, Both Lives Matter neither cares about womens lives, nor shares an affinity with Black Lives Matter beyond using a powerful rallying cry for human rights as a cover to maintain the marginalisation of women in Northern Ireland.

It is perhaps beyond the remit of the ASA to name this for what it is. But it is not beyond ours.

Elizabeth Nelson is an activist with the Belfast Feminist Network

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This anti-abortion hijacking of Black Lives Matter is cynical and ... - The Guardian

Last November, Johnnie Walker seemed to make an ill-timed bet. The whiskey brand launched an ad on the theme of Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land." It included standard Americana, including cowboys on horseback.

There was also a prevalence of Hispanic faces. Guthrie's lyrics were spoken by a narrator in accented English that eventually merged into fluent Spanish. Brown faces and Spanish speakers, their daily work completed, were invited to kick back with a scotch and dream American dreams. "This land was made for you and me," the narrator assured them.

Donald Trump, that paragon and parody of white-bro culture, was not expected to become president of this emergent America. Yet November happened. Now, the Johnnie Walker ad's dim lighting seems less a conduit for shared intimacy, more a darker shade of uncertainty.

So it was interesting to see the Procter & Gamble Co., the world's largest consumer-goods manufacturer, home to familiar all-American brands such as Tide, Mr. Clean and Old Spice, wade last month into what looked to be fraught waters.

The corporation launched a web video featuring black parents and children having "the talk." In P&G's conception, "the talk" isn't just about black kids avoiding police brutality; it's about dealing with racial bias as an inescapable, constantly evolving fact of American life.

In an email, Crystal Harrell, a P&G senior manager for communications, wrote:

The Talk highlights the impact of racial bias from the viewpoint of African American mothers across several decades. It depicts the inevitable conversations many black parents have had with their children to prepare them for challenges they may face in the world, and importantly to encourage them to achieve despite these obstacles. It shows that while society and times change, bias still exists.

Showing consumers that you understand them is basic marketing. "I think its existence tells us a great deal about whats on the minds of black consumers (rising tides of racism and vulnerability in public)," emailed Lizabeth Cohen, author of "A Consumers' Republic: The Politics of Mass Consumption in Postwar America."

But that understanding exists in a political context shaped by a president who doesn't share it. Trump ignores racial bias -- unless it's perceived against whites. Many of his supporters dispute that bias against blacks is a genuine problem at all: Republicans tell pollsters they believe that whites face more racial discrimination than blacks do.

P&G's video message may be subtle, discreet and narrow-casted to a black audience. But it still confronts such views head on.

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"P&G is obviously targeting African-American consumers and their growing spending power, but theyre also crowning themselves with a halo -- you can feel good about the Charmin or Tide, because P&G is not just some distant, staid, white-bread conglomerate. It cares," said Leslie Savan, author of "The Sponsored Life: Ads, TV and American Culture," in an email. "And maybe a bit of that is real. With a spot so overtly political, P&G does risk alienating a swath of angry white people who are sick and tired of being called racists."

I asked Harrell about the political implications of the videos. A corporate spokeswoman for brands that cross every geographic, class and racial line, Harrell was understandably cautious in her response. But she wasn't mealy-mouthed.

P&G and P&G brands are apolitical. We dont have a point of view on politics, but we do have a point of view that advocates for all our consumers. We know that bias exists in our society -- across age, sex, gender, race and many other dimensions of difference. And we know that acknowledging this fact may make some people uncomfortable. Our approach, with "The Talk," and with other campaigns, has been to spark that dialogue in an inspirational and empowering way -- not in a way that places blame.

Of course, if someone is a victim of racial bias, someone else must be a perpetrator. Trump's electoral success suggested a new birth of prejudice across the land, at least for a while.

How powerful institutions respond to that invitation matters. It's hard to conceive of a more mainstream, ubiquitous, middle-of-the-road American company than the Ohio-based Procter & Gamble, which also enjoys a stellar reputation for marketing savvy. So the messages it sends, and the reputational investments it makes, seem significant.

"Here's the bottom line," wrote Harrell. "At P&G, we aspire to create a better world for everyone -- a world free from bias, with equal representation, equal voices and equal opportunity. Our hope is that people see our messages in this light."

Noted.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

To contact the author of this story: Francis Wilkinson at fwilkinson1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Katy Roberts at kroberts29@bloomberg.net

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P&G Isn't Afraid to Say Black Lives Matter - Bloomberg

On Friday, Black Lives Matter cofounder Patrisse Cullors sat down with Mic in a Facebook live video to discuss the Black Lives Matter movement, its reputation across the world, as well as transgender support within the black community.

In 2013, Cullors, along with Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi, started the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag and subsequent movement to combat police brutality.

Were in a moment where Black Lives Matter has inundated every part of society, she said. I can get in an Uber, a Lyft, anywhere around the world and say Black Lives Matter and people will be like, Yeah, Ive heard of that.

As she pointed out, however, the success of the movement has not come without sacrifices. For Black Lives Matter chapters specifically, all of its members are volunteers who often have day jobs and lives to manage. Some of them, she mentioned, have even been fired from said jobs because of their affiliation with BLM.

Cullors is dedicated to more than one organization. She is also the founder of Dignity and Power Now, a grassroots organization based in Los Angeles that is devoted to fighting on behalf of incarcerated people, their families and their communities. Beyond that she bases her activism on an intersectional platform.

What people dont realize is not only do black people have to deal with racism, many of us have to deal with patriarchy, homophobia, transphobia, she said, while also sacrificing part of their life, sanity, happiness, so they can build something they might not even see right now.

Cullors recently flexed her activist muscles with fellow organizers Ashlee Marie Preston and Blossom Brown by disrupting an interview at Politicon between radio host Charlamagne Tha God and an MSNBC host.

Ahead of the event, comedian Lil Duval made a transphobic joke about killing trans women on Power 105.1s The Breakfast Club morning show. On Twitter, the backlash was swift with people using the hashtag #BoycottBreakfastClub to call out transphobia. The Marsha P. Johnson Institute issued an official statement on its Twitter timeline.

As an institution that serves the black community we demand that WWPR-FM and its parent company iHeartMedia fire Charlamagne Tha God for his consistent misogyny, anti-black and transphobic views, the statement reads. He has served as the donkey of the day for far too long and continues to harm the black community and especially ... black women.

On Thursday, the radio host denounced violence against trans women in a statement.

The Breakfast Club is an institution, Cullors said about the protest. We have to call out institutions that are violating our human rights, our civil rights and are allowing for people women, black trans women in particular to be seen as objects.

Cullors said the incident serves as a reminder of how much the cisgender black community hasnt supported black trans people. Even within Black Lives Matter, she noted that there hasnt been enough inclusion, but she does hope that will soon change.

We have to follow the leadership of black trans women, she said. We say this all the time: [Not] until black people get free, everybody will get free, but really, [not] until black trans women get free, everybody will get free.

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Patrisse Cullors talks BLM, police reform and why we need to support black trans women - Mic

Black Minds Matter class introduction

Aired 8/3/17 on KPBS Midday Edition

Black Lives Matter Movement Inspires SDSU Class On Black Minds In Education

GUEST:

J. Luke Wood, Ph.D., professor of community college leadership, San Diego State University

A flyer for the San Diego State University course, Black Minds Matter.

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Beginning this fall, San Diego State University professor Luke Wood will teach a free online public course titled "Black Minds Matter: A Focus on Black Boys and Men in Education." Wood said the Black Lives Matter movement inspired him to develop the course curriculum.

"The Black Lives Matter movement has shed light on two invariable facts. First, that black boys and men are criminalized in society and second that their lives are undervalued by those who are sworn to protect them," Wood said in a video introducing the class.

Wood said that criminalization spills over to the classroom where black boys and men are undervalued.

RELATED: San Diego State Professors Work To Improve Education For Men Of Color

The class will be held weekly each Monday, beginning Oct. 23 through Dec 11. The free portion of each class will be available via a live webstream from 4:30 to 5:30 pm Pacific Time. The hour will include discussions with experts in the field including educators and activists like Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullers.

Wood joins Midday Edition Thursday to discuss what he hopes students will take away from the class.

To view PDF documents, Download Acrobat Reader.

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Black Lives Matter Movement Inspires SDSU Class On Black Minds In Education - KPBS

A majority of Americans has an unfavorable view of Black Lives Matter, although opinions on the protest movement cut sharply along racial and partisan lines, according to a new poll.

Overall, 43 percent of voters have a positive view of Black Lives Matter, compared with 57 percent who have a negative view of the movement, the latest Harvard-Harris survey found.

Only 35 percent of whites have a favorable view of the movement, while 83 percent of blacks have a favorable view.

Meanwhile, 65 percent of Democrats and 66 percent of those who voted for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary ClintonHillary Rodham ClintonCongress wants Trump Jr. phone records related to Russia meeting Zuckerberg hires top Clinton pollster amid rumors of presidential run: report Democrats new 'Better Deal' comes up short for people of color MORE support the movement, which sprung up during the 2016 election to protest several controversial police shootings of black people and broader frustrations with the criminal justice system and police treatment of minorities.

The public is sympathetic to the problem of police using too much force but overall are unsympathetic to the Black Lives Matter movement, said Harvard-Harris co-director Mark Penn. As you might expect, white voters are sharply negative to the group while African-Americans give them positive ratings.

The Harvard-Harris online survey of 2,051 registered voters was conducted between July 19 and July 24. The partisan breakdown is 37 percent Democrat, 31 percent Republican, 27 percent independent and 4 percent other. Sixty-five percent of respondents were white, 14 percent Hispanic and 12 percent black or African-American.

The poll found that 50 percent of voters overall believe the criminal justice system is unfair to minorities, and 50 percent believe its fair.

Among black voters, 85 percent said there is bias in the criminal justice system, while 60 percent of white voters said the system is fair to minorities.

A majority 56 percent believes the police are too quick to resort to force in encounters with citizens, including 57 percent of whites.

And 54 percent say the police are too quick to shoot African-Americans, although here, only 45 percent of whites agree.

Attorney General Jeff SessionsJefferson (Jeff) SessionsKelly called Sessions to assure him job is safe: report Overnight Regulation: Senate confirms Trump pick to labor board | Court lets states defend ozone rule | Regulator seeks input on changing 'Volcker Rule' US attorney fired by Trump sends well-wishes to new FBI director MORE, who has broad support from the law enforcement community, nodded to the tensions between the police and minorities in aWednesdayspeech to the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives.

We all know the cases of the last several years when, in confrontations with police, lives have been cut short, Sessions said. Just as Im committed to defending law enforcement who lawfully have to use deadly force to defend themselves while engaged in their work, I will also use the power of the office Im entrusted with to hold any officer responsible who violates the law.

A majority, 54 percent, said the police are held accountable for misconduct. Among blacks, only 23 percent agreed.

Seventy-five percent, including two-thirds of African-Americans surveyed, said more attention is paid to police behavior than to gangs or crime. Nearly 90 percent said that scrutiny has triggered more violence against the police.

And 62 percent said the focus on police behavior has handcuffed law enforcement officials by discouraging them from doing their jobs, although only 44 percent of blacks agreed.

Seventy percent said black people committing crimes against other black people is a bigger problem in African-American communities than police violence toward blacks.

African-Americans are split here, with 49 percent saying black crime is a bigger problem and 51 percent saying police violence toward blacks is the bigger problem.

There are deep racial divides in attitudes towards police and whether too much attention has been given to cop shootings versus black-on-black crime, said Penn.

The Harvard-Harris Poll is a collaboration of the Harvard Center for American Political Studies and The Harris Poll. The Hill will be working with Harvard-Harris Poll throughout 2017.Full poll results will be posted online later this week.

The Harvard-Harris Poll survey is an online sample drawn from the Harris Panel and weighted to reflect known demographics. As a representative online sample, it does not report a probability confidence interval.

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Poll: 57 percent have negative view of Black Lives Matter movement ... - The Hill