When it comes to Black Lives Matter, one can either be for it or against it. You cannot say “Black lives matter”, but then not back the movement (that just makes you part of the problem). But what is Black Lives Matter fighting for? The liberation and equal rights of all Black people. Why is that so difficult for people to get behind? BLM is not asking for special treatment (although reparations are not a radical request), it is asking for the right for Black people to exist safely and fairly in our nation. Some think that this was achieved fifty years ago during the Civil Rights Movement. This is not so. If it was:
Black people would not be treated with excessive force more often than White people.
Black people’s killers would be held accountable for their wrongdoings and racism.
Black women would not die giving birth at three times higher rates than White women — regardless of income level.
Breonna Taylor’s murderers would be arrested and convicted for shooting eight bullets into her body while she was asleep in her own bed.
Jacob Blake would not have been shot, or even arrested. He would have driven home safely with his children. He would not be paralyzed for life.
Ahmaud Arbery would still be running for leisure like many of us do on a daily basis.
Elijah McClain would be playing his violin.
George Floyd would still be breathing.
Many people think that the Black Lives Matter movement is in itself racist. This is truly impossible for a number of reasons. First off, the definition of racism is the prejudice, discrimination, or mistreatment directed against a person or people on the basis of their membership of a minority racial or ethnic group. Reverse racism is not real in this country because White people are never the minority. Well what if there is one White person in a room full of POC? It is not about numbers, but rather power. White people in this country have always had the most power regardless of which other ethnic group you compare them to. They colonized and enforced genocide upon Native Americas, enslaved and segregated Africans, took advantage of and later interned Asian Americans, and mistreat and stereotype Latino populations. For these few examples, you can see that it is impossible for reverse racism to exist.
Secondly, you may be in the thinking of “All Lives Matter”. If you are in this group, BLM really shouldn’t bother you because wouldn’t the Black Lives be included in the “All”? Additionally, Black Lives Matter isn’t saying that all the other lives don’t, it is just simply putting an emphasis on Black lives because as of right now, they don’t matter in our country, and they are the ones being oppressed and killed. One great example goes as follows:
You can see how absurd it is to ignore the burning house in favor of the house that is not. This is not to say that other houses have no other problems. Theft and damage are threats all the same. The issue is that only the house on the right is dealing with fire. This relates to Black Lives Matter, because Black people are being treated with excessive force and killed at higher rates (as in number of people killed / total population, rather than total number due to the fact that whites make up a higher percentage of the population than Black people).
Cops aren’t supposed to kill people.
Subsequently, when Black people are killed by the police, their perpetrators are not held accountable or even arrested. This tells us that their lives didn’t matter enough to pursue justice for. Otherwise said as: their Black lives do not matter.
(Also Blue Lives Matter is indeed a fallacy because career is a choice, race is not. There is no such thing as a “blue life” because they have the option to take off the uniform and cops are not a marginalized population).
When we talk about race, often times the idea of “white privilege” comes up. White privilege does not mean you haven’t suffered, it simply means that your whiteness is not one of the reasons why. “White privilege” protects people from all sorts of threats like being racially profiled, stereotyped, or being the victim of suspicion or excessive force. All people suffer. Not all people suffer because of their race.
Black Lives Matter is not a radical movement, white supremacy just makes it sound radical for the sole definition that historically whites have been superior. You may think the days of individualized racism are behind us (although we have leaders who behave otherwise), this is not the case. And even though segregation was outlawed, the effects of racism in the past still have an active role in our society today. When slavery was prohibited and segregation laws removed, Black people were expected to just pull themselves up by the bootstraps and if they weren’t at the same level it was because they were lazy. This is simply illogical thinking due to the fact that they have been oppressed for the past 400 years and now all of a sudden they’re expected to be on the same playing field? That’s like playing monopoly and for 400 turns you’re not allowed to play or earn money, so by the time you start, all the other players own every property and power in the game. On top of that, slavery did not just go away, it just evolved into mass incarceration; which is why Black folx are incarcerated at higher rates because they do not have the generational wealth to pay for lawyers or post bail, and the government is looking to fill the prisons so they have cheap labor (highly recommend the documentary the 13th if interested). Furthermore, systemic racism keeps minority populations (particularly Black, Brown, and Indigenous folx) in poverty by raising prices without raising wags, redlining, white flight which led to educational racism, lack of resources that lead to health issues, over-policing, and biases in the healthcare system.
If the protests have invalidated the truth that is the Black Lives Matter movement, perhaps you haven’t considered:
- You cannot judge a movement on its very few violent protesters and not judge the law enforcement on its murderous and excessively violent officers.
- The protests typically start off as peaceful, what happens is cops come dressed in riot gear and normally are the ones to shoot rubber bullets and pepper spray into crowds of peaceful protestors.
- MLK Jr. led peaceful protests that were always met with brutal beatings and violence from law enforcement. He is also quoted saying, “A riot is the language of the unheard”.
- Human life is always more important than property damage.
We have tried petitions. We have tried electing progressive candidates. We have tried protests. Every single thing we do is met with criticism and violence. What else can we do?
Black Lives Matter is necessary and important because it feels like without it, nothing will change. Black Lives Matter is necessary and important because it gives us hope that one day our Black neighbors, friends, and family members will indeed matter. Black Lives Matter is necessary and important because it should be true.
So, to those who still don’t support Black Lives Matter:
Why do you not want Black people to have equal rights in our country?
Why do you continue to enable white supremacy?
What would it take for you to have compassion for other human beings who are being murdered?
Why do you care more about order than justice? Property than people?
Why do you not believe that Black people have the right to sleep in their own bed, run in their neighborhood, exist, thrive, and live?
Why do I need to convince you that Black lives matter, have value, are worthy, are beautiful, are phenomenal, have dignity, and deserve respect, and deserve to breathe?
