4 and a Half Minutes

A documentation of a student-organized #BlackLivesMatter solidarity demonstration held on Appalachian State University’s campus December 8, 2014.

About this video

This video was created to document #BlackLivesMatter activism on Appalachian State University’s campus. #BlackLivesMatter demonstrations on our campus included silent “die in/lie in” components, during which the demonstrators lay on the ground and in some cases their bodies were chalked around by other demonstrators. These “die-ins” lasted four-and-a-half minutes to symbolize the four-and-a-half hours Michael Brown's body lay on the ground after he was shot in Ferguson, Mo.

The video is a silent, four-and-a-half minute piece. The black and white format was chosen both as a tribute to the black and white documentary footage of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement and also an acknowledgement that our country still struggles with the same issues. The silent format places a strong emphasis on the visuals and invites the viewer to provide her or his own narrative to a movement that is taking place nationwide.

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Black Lives Matter

#BlackLivesMatter is an online forum intended to build connections between Black people and our allies to fight anti-Black racism, to spark dialogue amongst Black people, and to facilitate the types of connections necessary to encourage social action and engagement.

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About Appalachian State University

As the premier public undergraduate institution in the Southeast, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls nearly 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.