Another black man has been shot down by police, and once again, America is in a state of unrest. Once again the Black Lives Matter movement is in full effect and once again there are people that continue to say that this is a hate movement. There are people continue to say that Black Lives Matter makes no sense and then say that "All Lives Matter". I believe that all lives matter, but my question is does America really believe that all lives matter? A better question would be, has there been a point in history that America has shown us that all lives matter?
Let's fire up the DeLorean and go back to look at a couple of examples throughout time, shall we...
We are very aware of the terrible physical and psychological abuse that black people have suffered during slavery in the United States. We also know that after slavery, black people were still hung from trees and beaten to death. Those people never got justice because they were black and the people who did the crime were white. During the segregation era, black people were forced to use poor facilities while whites were given better facilities. And for years, statistics have shown that blacks are more likely to be stopped, harassed or killed by the cops than whites. When you look at this evidence, can you truly say that America values all lives?
But it is not just about black lives. Many can question if America has truly valued the lives of other races. When the Europeans first came to this country and saw the Native Americans, they stole this land from them. They relocated the Natives and made them go through the infamous "Trail of Tears" and put them on reservations.
When Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, America started fearing the Japanese Americans and threw them into internment camps. These camps were overcrowded and had no plumbing. Not to mention, that there were laws passed that openly discriminated against Japanese Americans during this time.
For Latinos in this country, they are constantly being questioned about their citizenship and there have been many politicians that have pushed for Latinos to be deported. There have also been hate crimes committed against Latinos in this country and these crime rates are rising.
After 9/11, America discriminated against Muslims and accused them of being associated with Al Qaeda. Many hate crimes were committed against Muslims including Mosque shootings, and the rate of hate crimes against Muslims has risen in the last few years.
Now, here we are once again. America is divided over another police shooting. As the Black Lives Matter movement continues to grow, so do the number of people who counter with "All Lives Matter." But we can take a look through United States history and it shows that there hasn't been a time when all lives have mattered to this country. Even in modern times, we have been shown that all lives don't matter in the U.S. We have seen the killers of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and Tamir Rice get off clean for gunning down these unarmed black men. We have a man who is determined to get rid of Mexicans and Muslims as the Republican nominee for president. And the man who went into a black church and killed nine black people has a chance to get his federal case dropped. All of these situations have made me ask, do all lives really matter? From what I have seen as a black man in America, it seems that my life is no more valuable than that of an animal.
If America wants to prove that all lives do matter, they can start by giving justice to the men and women of any race that have been hurt or killed by police brutality this year. They can give equal punishments to criminals of any race. If America can prove that all lives do matter, then there will finally be liberty and justice for all.
