On July 10th, I was a part of something bigger than myself. I attended the peaceful Black Lives Matter protest in Oklahoma City. This was four days after Philando Castile was killed in Minnesota and three days after the police shootings in Dallas, so the overall emotion and the sense of urgency were extremely prominent.
There were several eloquent speakers and a number of clever signs, but these things weren't what stood out to me the most.
It was the amount of love.
There were black people, white people, Hispanic people, Asian people, and Native American people all gathered together for one issue.
There were volunteers of all races carrying around buckets of bottled water to give out so everyone stayed hydrated. There were kids of all races holding signs with hearts on them and handing out granola bars. There were people of all races thanking and hugging policemen as they walked by.
At one point, everyone in attendance held hands with the person next to them and raised them high in the air to show the news helicopters that we were there as one.
When multiple people were overcome with heat exhaustion, everyone around them did their best to get the attention of the medics.
It's this that we should strive for. Love. Regardless of color.
Now, I have heard many people say that Black Lives Matter is a violent, anti-police movement and that it should be "All Lives Matter” instead.
Yes, all lives matter, but right now, at this moment in time, all lives aren't being the ones taken unjustly. All people aren't the ones being profiled. All people aren't the ones being taken advantage of. It's black lives and black people.
You wouldn’t criticize a breast cancer fundraiser and say that they should be raising money for all cancers. The same principle applies here.
The leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement are not saying that black lives matter more, but that they matter, also. The speakers that day did not talk against the police force, but instead they thanked them for keeping us safe while we protested and had a moment of silence for those lost in Dallas.
Contrary to popular belief, you can be for Black Lives Matter and for the police. These two things are not at all mutually exclusive.
I am writing this as a white person and a Christian. Racism is very alive in this country still, and it will be until we grasp the same concept of love that Jesus had. Only love drives out hate. It's times like this that we need to stand together as the body of Christ and be there for those who maybe do not look exactly like us.
“There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28
