It all started with the hashtag "#BlackLivesMatter." My question is, why doesn't every life matter? Why does one race matter more than another when all of us have the same rights, when all of us are entitled to the same privileges? This hashtag puts blacks above every other race, like they matter more than the rest of the population. That's simply untrue. Caucasian, Asian, Hispanic, Middle Eastern, or European lives are all equal to African American lives. We, as a country, made the decision to establish that every American citizen is entitled to the same rights, the same job opportunities, without separation from one another. So when I see "#BlackLivesMatter" I think, why doesn't mine?

I understand that there are bad people in this world who still rank each other based on the color of their skin. I understand that there has been quite a lot of violence in the black community and that many innocent lives have been taken (may the rest in peace), but those lives are just as important as those of a different race. I also understand that the black community and most minority races have struggled in the past for freedom, for equality. Believe me when I say this, America realized they messed up with the issue of slavery. It was wrong and demeaning. But that was quite a long time ago; times have changed.

The black community cannot keep throwing slavery in our faces. No one is trying to enslave the African American race today, in the present. If we keep acting like we are in the past, we will never move forward as a nation. That goes for every race in America; if we continue to compare our worth to others based on the pigment of their skin, we will live like this forever.

Another thing, we need to stop blaming an entire race for the work of an individual or a group. Not all whites are hardcore republicans trying to erase the minority races. Not all Hispanics work at McDonalds and support a family of six. Not every Muslim is a terrorist and wears a head wrap. You see what I'm getting at here? Stop labeling every race you come across. We may all be equal, but we are not the same.

I am Caucasian and I have told by many people that, because I'm white, I must be privileged and have never lifted a finger. People assume that I have been handed everything I have ever wanted because I need SPF 80 when I step outside on a sunny day. Are there some Caucasians that fit this stereotype? Yes, but so do some African Americans, Hispanics, and just about every other race. There are people of every race who have had to work for what they have.

I know there are racists out there who think that they are above everyone else and who think that it's their duty to put everyone in their proper place. I understand that a lot of that violence has been directed at the black community, but any of those instances of violence could have easily happened to anyone of any race. The world is not out to get the blacks.

It's time to see that we are all equal. We all have the same opportunities. We will all have some struggles. We just need to keep pushing, knowing that we have worked for the things we have. Take that negative energy and work even harder to be truly better than rest because of who you are as an individual, not because of the color of your skin.