There are a lot of questions and misconceptions about the Black Lives Matter movement. Most of what I am about to fill you in on can be found on the official Black Lives Matter website, but to make your research a little easier, I have compiled a list of 18 things everyone should know about the movement. Hopefully, this will clear up any fallacies.

1. Believing that Black Lives Matter does not mean that one believes other lives don't.

It also does not mean that Black lives matter more than other lives. So yes, you can be white and believe that black lives matter as well as your own. The two are not mutually exclusive.

2. The Black Lives Matter movement was founded by three women.

Patrisse Cullors, Opal Tometi, and Alicia Garza. It started as a hashtag after the acquittal of George Zimmerman--the defendant in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. So no, Barack Obama did not “start" or “cause" the BLM protests.

3. BLM is a peaceful movement.

Any violence, including towards the police, is not welcomed and is condemned. Yes, there has been violence in the name of BLM, but violence has never been its intent. There have also been uprisings connected to BLM, Ferguson being the most famous, but any violence that took place was again, never the point.

As MLK Jr. said, “A riot is the language of the unheard." The uprising took place after the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown and hurled his story into national coverage and placed pressure on its local government to make changes.

4. Anyone of any race can be a part of the BLM movement.

Again, you can be white and still support BLM. The movement is about gaining an equal playing field for all.

5. Black Lives Matter DOES NOT PROTEST CRIME.

It protests police brutality, injustice and racial inequalities within the justice system, including the police, the courts, and the prison system. So if you're legitimately asking why the movement doesn't show up every time a crime takes place, ask yourself why breast cancer awareness organizations aren't raising money to fund a cure for the common cold.

6. Yes, BLM has/and will protest for white lives!

As I said before, the group protests brutality and injustice, and that includes for people of all races. However, a good majority of the time, when unarmed white people are killed at the hands of police, the police face repercussions, therefore, there is nothing to protest.

White people are also generally treated the most fairly within the court and prison systems. Most recently BLM protested at Standing Rock in solidarity with the Sioux Tribe as they challenged the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline.

7. The movement is not divisive!

This country was founded on slavery, the basis of capitalism. If you feel that we are divided it is because we are. But it's not because of Black Lives Matter (or Beyonce). It is because the United States created its system of government on oppression and white supremacy. If you feel that the movement is divisive it is due to the fact that you are content with, and benefit from white supremacy and prefer a racial pecking order--which is fine if you're a Nazi…

8. Claiming that BLM is being divisive by protesting racism IS RACIST in itself.

You are ignoring the fact that we are already divided while simultaneously telling a minority group that their oppression is imaginary. You're also not doing anything to end inequality by overlooking it, Becky.

9. Every innocent and/or unarmed Black person who is killed by police is not a “thug."

We do realize that term is being used in place of “nigger." You are not slick. And neither is your Cheeto-in-Chief.

10. BLM does not protest EVERYTHING.

The movement does not protest when someone (whatever their race) who is ACTUALLY, ACTIVELY committing a violent crime or is threatening police gets shot or is killed by law enforcement.

11. Not every Black people person is a criminal.

(Trayvon Martin, Aiyana Jones, Tamir Rice)

Not every Black person stopped by police has committed a crime.

(Eric Garner, Philando Castile, John Crawford III, Alton Sterling)

It is not illegal to be tall or heavyset.

(Mike Brown)

It is not illegal to be mentally ill.

(Dontre Hamilton, Ezell Ford, Tanisha Anderson)

Not every Black person detained has committed a violent crime, if a crime at all.

(Sandra Bland, Freddie Gray)

12. “Black on Black crime" has nothing to do with brutality or injustice within the criminal justice system.

It's apples and oranges. When “Jamal" shoots “Quinton," assuming Jamal gets caught, he is arrested and goes to prison. Justice for Quinton is served and there is nothing to protest. And again, I just told you that BLM does not protest crime.

13. Also, “Black on black crime" is NOT A THING.

In the majority of violent crimes, the victim and perpetrator are of the same race. That means, yes, Black people kill Black people, but also, white people kill white people…and so on and so forth. If you're trying to argue that “Black on Black crime" is this pressing “issue" that needs to be addressed, we should also discuss ways to end “white on white crime," since “all lives matter."

14. Saying “all lives matter" is disparaging.

If all lives mattered to begin with, we wouldn't be in this pickle. Racism, misogyny, transphobia, Islamophobia…etc wouldn't exist if “all lives" mattered, now would they? When Black lives matter, we will be a step closer to all lives mattering.

15. If one legitimately feel that all lives matter, then there is no reason as to why Black lives wouldn't matter.

Black lives fall into the scope of “all lives," right? Riiiiiiiight?

16. Saying “all lives matter" and “blue lives matter" in the same sentence is divisive.

If all lives matter, how can your purposely include one group (blue lives) and purposely exclude another (black lives)? And yes, “all lives matter" excludes “black lives." It was created in opposition, remember.

17. “Blue lives" is also not a thing.

Being a police officer is an occupation, not a “life." “Blue" is the color of the uniform. (maybe) That “blue" uniform can be put on and taken off. An officer may be in the way of danger while they are in uniform, but they get to assimilate every time they take it off. Black (and brown) people have a target on their back 24/7/365.

When a police officer dies in the line of duty, it is horrible. Nobody wants that. These are people who put themselves in harm's way to do a job most of us would be afraid to do and it is commendable. But at the same time, it is an occupational hazard that officers sign up for. Black people did not sign up for the opposition they face.

18. Not a single Millennial gives a fuck about Al Sharpton.

Stop bringing up Al Sharpton in every Facebook argument. And no, we don't all believe O.J is innocent.