I am an African-American female undergraduate student with hopes of going to law school. So scrolling down my Twitter newsfeed and seeing news stories about another life being taken from someone that looks like me, as you can imagine, is disheartening. Seeing hashtag after hashtag, watching videos and feeling as though I have lost a part of me gets old. Quickly. However, there are a few points that keep popping up and I feel the need to lay them to bed.

Starting with All Lives Matter. Let's break this down: according to Google, the word "all" is defined as such: "used to refer to the whole quantity or extent of a particular group..." The whole quantity. Whole, meaning entire. The judicial system in America is the same system that will kill a black woman for failing to use her turning signals, but treat a blonde-haired, blue-eyed mass murderer to a meal before taking him to jail. The judicial system in America is the same system that will label peaceful protesting group a terrorist group, but turn their heads to an infamous group known for racism and the execution of people of color (POC). Yes, all lives should matter, but the judicial system in America fails to treat African Americans with the same respect as it does white people. This problem starts with the police force, which brings me to my next point.

Blue Lives Matter is a load of bullsh*t. Blue Lives Matter was a hashtag created to honor the police officers shot and killed by a sniper during a Black Lives Matter rally in Dallas, Texas. Before continuing, let me just say that I do not condone violence towards the innocent, whatsoever. I believe being a police officer is a job that should not be taken lightly and the responsibility should only be given to those properly trained for it. However, being a police officer is a job and it is a choice. So the police officers that were gunned down that day in Dallas, however, sad as that may be, made that choice. Had those men not made the choice to become police officers, they would probably be alive today. With Black Lives Matter comes a completely different story. Being black in America is not a choice. Police officers have the ability to take off that uniform at night. The blackness of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Sandra Bland, Alton Sterling, Philando Castile and every other man and woman that lost their lives at the hands of police is not a choice and is not a costume. Being black in America is not a choice, but a constant reminder of the oppression that is still very alive in 2016.