John Franklin Kennedy uttered those words quoted above on June 10th, 1963. We are now over half a century into the future, and we still struggle to realize the validity of that statement.
I am a supporter of not only Black Lives Matter, but all the other activists exercising their 1st Amendment rights. However, there is a common aspect of all recent protests that I do not agree with and need to be addressed:
I do not condone violence. Why does it have to be done? Why are human beings destroying homes, businesses, and personal property? To make a point? Because you're fed up? Whatever the rationale may be, violence should not be tolerated. Anger, frustration, and exhaustion are more than justified emotions to feel for the individuals who have experienced any form of oppression throughout their lifetime. However, these emotions can’t be what drives someone's passion for change. Not all who support Black Lives Matter or any other movement take part in the violence, but it is something that needs to be addressed in depth. A difference can be and needs to be made. We just MUST go about it in the right way, and Black Lives Matter leadership realizes this. Black Lives Matter leader, DeRay Mckesson, called for peace after the police shootings in Baton Rouge, LA in July 2016. The founders of Black Lives Matter, Patrisse Cullors, Opal Tometi, and Alicia Garza have pushed their messages of anti-violence. So, even though there are instances of violence, we must understand that the original motives and intentions of the Black Lives Matter movement does not stem from a need for violence.
That being said, I am a full supporter of what the Black Lives Matter movement stands for. I am a full supporter of equal rights, of HUMAN rights. I do not support the All Lives Matter movement. If we truly believed that "all lives matter", there would not be a Black Lives Matter movement. There would not be a Women's Equality movement. There would not be a Blue Lives Matter movement. If all lives truly did matter, we would not have to prove it to ourselves by creating an "All Lives Matter" movement. I feel as if people misunderstand the purpose of these recent protests. Protests do not occur because those marching hate their country. These protests occur because they love their country, and they want to feel equal to the white man who lives next door. Now, if the white man is an immigrant or a Muslim, that's a different story. We need to stop putting conditions on the equality of a human being. I stand behind the Black Lives Matter movement not only because of their fight for black equality, but also for their fight for diversity, globalism, black women, black villages, loving engagement, restorative justice, collective value, empathy, queer affirmation, being unapologetically black, transgender affirmation, black families, and closing the intergenerational gap of learning.
Will I ever be followed around a store, because the owner is worried I will steal something? No. Will I ever be worried that I may not get a job that I am MORE than qualified for because of my race? No. Will I ever hug my father, brother, or boyfriend a little longer before they go to the store at midnight because I don't know who or what they will run into on the way there? No. I answered "No" to all of those questions because I am a young, middle-class, white woman. I may never, and hope to God that I will never understand the fear and pain some of my minority friends and their families have experienced. That is why I stand behind the Black Lives Matter movement: I, as a HUMAN BEING, do not want to experience the oppression that minority men, women, and children are shown on a daily basis. That is why there needs to be a massive change. A change not only for us, but also for our ancestors, and those in the future.
We can not continue to be bystanders.
"First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."
-Martin Niemöller
We can not allow history to repeat itself.
Throughout Black History Month, I will be interviewing Black Americans across all generations about their feelings towards the Black Lives Matter movement, Civil and Human Rights, and the current state of our nation. I hope to shed some light on this prevalent topic that needs to be seen from a primary source; not just what we want to see and believe.
To learn more about the Black Lives Matter movement, visit their website!
