Starting in 2013 after the death of Trayvon Martin and the acquittal of his killer George Zimmerman, the Black Lives Matter movement began with just a hashtag on Twitter. Three years later you unfortunately can't go very long before this hashtag returns back to Twitter and Facebook timelines and news outlets everywhere.
The movement, by definition, is a movement that came out of the black community that works and campaigns against violence towards black people. Those involved with the movement organize peaceful protests, stand-ins and presentation protests -- which are regularly held along with major protests after each death.
But of course, along with every social movement comes its supporters and those who are against it.
After Black Lives Matter started gaining steam, some people who didn't agree with the phrase began firing back with the hashtag "#alllivesmatter," most of which are white and white passing people. Of course, this enraged those who supported BLM to begin with, and rightfully so.
What those who are against BLM don't understand is that by saying black lives matter, you are finally saying that all lives matter.
Let's go back.
Historically, those who are white and white passing don't experience discrimination. They don't have systemic fear. They don't worry about being judged for the color of their skin. Their lives already matter, have already mattered and will always matter as this world has constantly put the agenda of white and white passing lives first -- even if most don't recognize and realize this fact.
Take a look at recent headlines and pictures used in stories on national television. Even there, it's evident that black lives don't matter to the majority of the world. Stories about white men and women have been published about them murdering, stealing, drug dealing and being involved in rape, that much is true. Yet most times, instead of using their mugshot, a cute school picture or Instagram grab is used in the story. Another example is when the story sympathizes with the criminal by going on about how their lives are now ruined.
Take the Steubenville rape, for example. A newscaster cried on TV while mourning the two rapists' football careers that had been ruined. Dylan Roof had been referred to as a quiet boy, who was nice to his neighbors. He is a white supremacist who killed an entire church congregation.
I could go on.
It's already obvious that white lives and other lives matter. The media makes that apparent every day, even for the criminals.
The Black Lives Matter movement is trying to make their people matter too and rightfully so. It doesn't mean that all lives don't matter -- it's working to truly make them all matter.
As a white woman, I don't live every day in fear for my life or if this day will be my last. And I recognize this as an ingrained aspect of white privilege because my whole life, even subliminally, I've been be assured that my life and other white lives matter.
If I was Philando Castile, I wouldn't have died in a car in front of my significant other and a baby. I wouldn't have died over a busted tail light. I wouldn't have died after telling a police officer I had a concealed carry license. I wouldn't have died reaching into my pocket for an ID. I wouldn't have died because I would've just been given a ticket.
After his death, NBC journalist Tom Winter tweeted that Castile had been pulled over by police 31 times for traffic violations since 2002.
This tweet enraged me. This is another perpetuation that black lives don't matter. The tweet came out the same day news of this incident surfaced and it seemed distasteful. The way this tweet reads is, "Wow, he was pulled over 31 times in 14 years. Was a bad dude. Deserved to die."
This same kind of news reporting happened when Tamir Rice died. The domestic violence and criminal background of Rice's parents were written about, somehow trying to make it seem like Rice himself must have been violent too and made it okay for him to die.
I recognize myself as someone who benefits from my whiteness that all lives don't matter at all.
For all lives to matter, black lives need to matter.
And at this point in time, they obviously don't. By saying all lives matter instead of black lives blatantly ignores the struggles and harsh realities that the black community faces.
Comedian and television show host Bill Maher said, "All Lives Matter implies that all lives are equally at risk and they're not."
As a white woman, I don't fear the police killing me for selling CDs. I don't fear them approaching me and choke holding me to the ground just because of the color of my skin.
It's time for black families to not have to worry if their sons, daughters, fathers and mothers will be the next Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown, Tamir Rice, Alton Sterling, Sandra Bland, Philando Castile ... and sadly the list goes on.
Obviously, everyone wants every life and every human to matter. Saying black lives matter doesn't mean that everyone else doesn't matter. By saying black lives matter, you're saying that you recognize that others do matter and it's high time that everyone recognizes that black lives matter too.
Stop silencing their voices.
