There are people making the argument that “All Lives Matter” & so Black Lives Matter is trying to make Black lives stand above all else. Though I understand their point of view, I must respectfully disagree with their grasp of the situation. It’s impossible to honestly state that all lives matter when all lives don’t have the same value in the eyes of the law, workforce, education system, & Society in general. Until “non-white” lives are afforded the same opportunities, benefits of the doubt, resources for upliftment, & command the same respect as white lives, then all lives don’t matter, though they should.
Public schools in low-income districts have the smallest budgets with the most crowded classrooms even though they’re in the greatest need of resources & attention. Gerrymandering, voter suppression, stop-&-frisk policies, no-knock warrants,… these are just some of the characteristics of systematic racism used to keep a segment of citizens pigeon-holed in a box, or better yet a cage.
BLM isn’t about pushing an agenda of black superiority. It’s the necessary & inevitable result of the centuries of white superiority being promoted & accepted as the status quo. BLM is the antithesis to the misconception of black inferiority. It’s the equivalent of 5 people dining @ a table together while 4 of them carry on as if the 5th person doesn’t exist, isn’t visible. Eventually, that person is going to stand up, wave his/her arms & say, “Hey! I’m sitting here too. Stop reaching over me for food as if I’m not sitting right here with you. Stop talking around me like I don’t exist!” BLM is Us saying, “Hey America, We exist too. We matter also!” This Movement isn’t about excluding anyone. It’s about inclusion in the pursuit of life, liberty, & happiness for EVERY citizen because all lives DO matter.
I wonder if those people who have such an issue with BLM would feel differently if the mantra was, “Black Lives Matter Also.” Or would they find another reason to criticize it & try to disparage the message?
BLM exists to correct the false narrative told pertaining to non-whites, especially in the media. If you watch the local news & 80% of the coverage is crime & those segments depict black & brown criminals, then turn around & show “feel good”, positive stories depicting white faces, what message does that send? Is it that hard to find black & brown people doing beneficial things? Does crime really have to be the central theme of a news broadcast? Why aren’t ex-prisoners who’ve become productive citizens doing well being highlighted, rather than the ones committing new crimes? There are far more of the former than the latter, yet that’s not the narrative being told to the public. If it was, can you imagine how that would change people’s views on giving second chances?
Can you imagine what America’s future would look like if every child had the opportunity & resources to explore their innate talents & skills? If they were all pushed to bring forth innovation in STEM fields? If the support & training were provided to all children to learn how to become community leaders, entrepreneurs, participants in the political process, or public servants?
This Democracy designed to be “for the People” & “by the People”, would truly be just that… a Government of the People.
The electoral college takes away the power of the People to determine who will lead this Nation as President, yet policymakers & legislators still won’t fix it. See, all of these issues are part of the BLM Movement. BLM is about empowering American Citizens to hold this great Nation accountable to the Ideals & Principles it’s established on. What American doesn’t want that??
That should be something everyone can agree on without controversy. The problem is the biases ingrained in some people’s minds which get fueled by demagogues with ulterior agendas. Division & separation only hurt We The People, while Unity decreases the power & influence of the few so-called elite who benefit/profit from the “race construct” plaguing America & the world. Black Lives Matter everywhere, all the time, in every situation like all other lives because Life is precious & gifted to Us all to cherish, & do right by each other.
So, yes all lives do matter, but that’s not the reality in Society until Black Lives Matter finally to everyone!
SEAN BROWN
DOC #1083630
BLM is also the acronym for Bureau of Land Management. At first that’s what I thought you were talking about, I voted for only one person in our last election to keep myself registered. I liked his posters. It turns out he was black. And he won. He’s on the city council now (Yuma Az). Campaign. Vote. Run. And don’t forget to, on occasion, duck. That’s how to stay alive and matter. I guess. Sounds good, doesn’t it?