If you pay the slightest attention to the news and media, you have probably seen the hashtag, #BlackLivesMatter pop up at least once.
The "Black Lives Matter" movement was created after the death of Trayvon Martin in 2012. Many people understand that this movement is against police brutality, but many are unaware that it goes much deeper than that. This movement hopes to see a world where African Americans are not intentionally targeted or oppressed. They hope to open up the conversation of how their race feels powerless at times, and open the movement to fight for the rights of all black lives.
As a white female, many times I see my peers unable to see how this issue affects their own lives. Many people dismiss this cause completely and cry back that, "No! All lives matter!"
A huge misconception with the #BlackLivesMatter movement is that the people promoting this cause are trying to say that black lives matter more than any other life. Yes, all lives do matter, but right now black lives are facing huge road blocks and oppression, so let's focus our attention on them. Think about if you were at a Relay for Life event, and someone yells "All Diseases Matter." Yes, it is true that all diseases matter, but you are at an event for cancer...let's focus on one at a time. It sounds a little ridiculous when you think about this issue like that.
I was born with privilege because of my skin color, but even if I never personally experience the hardships and discrimination an African-American faces daily, it is my duty as a citizen to recognize the differences in our society, admit that there is a problem, and help figure out how we can make the world a better place for our brothers and sisters. Life in America is not at all the same for the average white American compared to the average African American.
For everyone that is still skeptical, here is some facts that explain why #BlackLivesMatter is so important right now:
#BlackLivesMatter because although crime rates between whites and blacks are roughly equal, an African American male is roughly six times more likely to be incarcerated than his white counterpart. This means that while one in 136 white males are behind bars, one in 21 black males are behind bars.
#BlackLivesMatter because if black men were incarcerated at the same rate as white men, the population of men behind bars would decline 50%.
#BlackLivesMatter because although African Americans only make up 14% of drug users, African Americans account for 56% of drug offenders locked in state prisons.
#BlackLivesMatter because after conviction of a felony, African Americans are incarcerated 51% of the time while whites are incarcerated only 38% of the time.
#BlackLivesMatter because while the news is constantly reporting about violent crimes committed by African Americans, white males are actually about twice as likely to commit a violent crime than an African American male.
#BlackLivesMatter because only five states in our nation prohibit health insurance companies from discriminating based on race.
#BlackLivesMatter because 33% of all African American students attend high-poverty schools, compared to 4% of all white students.
#BlackLivesMatter because among all races, African Americans are more likely to attend a school that does not offer any AP courses. This is likely because African Americans make up 52% of city populations, making them more likely to attend the high-poverty schools mentioned above.
#BlackLivesMatter because even if advanced classes exist at a student's school, black students many times are not even offered the option to take these courses.
#BlackLivesMatter because African American students attending a public school in New York, Florida, or Georgia are twice as likely to not graduate.
#BlackLivesMatter because there are 17 states where the graduation rate for an African American male is less than 50%, while only five states have a graduation rate of 70%.
#BlackLivesMatter because 30% of African American students who achieved an A-average while in high school will still end up at a community college.
#BlackLivesMatter because even though African Americans and Hispanics account for 25% and 28% of the population of New York City respectively, the 87% of the citizens who had to participate in a "stop and frisk" search conducted by NYPD were African American or Hispanic.
#BlackLivesMatter because African Americans are 2.5 times more likely than whites to be searched at a traffic stop.
#BlackLivesMatter because compared to the overall 22% wage gap between men and women, African American women see a 36% wage gap.
#BlackLivesMatter because even if an African American woman achieves an advanced degree, she will make, on average, $77 less per week than a white woman.
#BlackLivesMatter because the average African American family's income is roughly $20,700 less than the average white family.
#BlackLivesMatter because although there are more white Americans living in poverty, a higher percentage of African Americans (27.2%) are living in poverty compared to 12.3% of the white population (a 14.9% difference).
#BlackLivesMatter because African Americans have a higher percentage of families living under the poverty line compared to white families.
#BlackLivesMatter because in the last year, 46% of African-American children have not received any regular out-patient care, compared to 27% of white children.
With all of these facts and statistics provided, it comes down to the question: why is there still so much disparity between African Americans and whites? Do we blame the rooted racism that still lives inside some of the minds of the powerful? Do we blame poverty? This is something that is debatable, and most likely, there is no one root cause that is creating this problem. America has come a long way in the last century, but we still have a long way to go so that equality for all people can be an attainable goal. Until all of these differences become less apparent in our society, black lives will always matter.
