If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, did it make a sound?

If a group of men and women march in the nation’s capital for justice, and the media doesn’t cover it, is their message still received?

This past Saturday, Oct. 10, was the anniversary of the Million Man March. I’m not surprised that big news stations like CNN and Fox were more focused on airing information on NEXT year’s presidential candidates than The Million Man March that happened Saturday. If we aren’t dying or rioting, they tend to brush us aside.

The Million Man March first began on Oct. 16, 1995. It was a combination of over 12 hours of speeches that were made as a call to action for black men to take responsibility for improving themselves, their families, and their communities. This year’s rally was called “Justice or Else” and it focused on police brutality, as well as the rights of women, veterans, Native Americans, Blacks, and Latinos. One of the primary organizers for the 1995 march, Farrakhan, who has spoken alongside other prominent leaders like Maya Angelou, Rosa Parks, and Jesse Jackson, was present as well.

This year Reyes, a Latino spoken word poet, performed at the event and visited Stetson University this past spring to speak at the Intercultural Communication class. Something he said at the march really resonated with me.

Reyes said “The majority of this audience is young. And I think that this is something that speaks to their reality. We’re growing up in a culture now that isn’t afraid to challenge White supremacy. Even though we may be lulled to sleep sometimes through capitalism and materialism, you see young people all across the country not afraid to stand up against the police, where a few generations ago maybe it would have been different, and it just speaks to where we are in terms of solidarity in communities of color.”

White supremacy is a topic that is a taboo of sorts. When people mention White Supremacy or privilege in my classes, it is almost as if people are afraid to voice their opinions. Some may agree with the fact that White supremacy and privilege are very real, while others will deny it and use the old cop-out, saying “but we have a Black president.”

So?

This then leads into the discussion of the phrase “Black Lives Matter." Every time and without fail there is someone in my class who will say “All Lives Matter.” That is not only ignorant, but racist as well. You don’t agree? Let me tell you why.

First of all, when people use the phrase “Black Lives Matter,” they are not saying the other lives don’t matter. They are saying that black lives matter, too. Look at the media and what they choose to cover when it comes to black lives. It's not the peaceful things like the Million Man March. No, of course not.

Instead, they show you violence, riots, and the men and women murdered by police officers. When I think of things I have seen on the media surrounding black lives, these names come to mind: Trayvon Martin. Eric Garner. Micheal Brown. Sandra Bland. Tamir Rice. Eric Harris. Walter Scott. Freddie Gray. What do those names mean to you? To me, they are the epitome of why phrases like “Black Lives Matter” are important and needed. Because the lives of our people matter. I’m not saying Black lives matter more than White lives. I am saying that Black people deserve to have lives. Lives that aren’t surrounded in fear. Lives that don’t end with them just being a name on a shirt or a story on the news.

20 years. It has been 20 years since the first Million Man March and, though we have made some progress, it is not enough. I feel that we are approaching a peak of inequality and we are on the brink of our next big social revolution. We’ve been fighting the same battle for 20 years and barely gaining any progress. Something's got to change, and soon. We need justice.

Or else.