Protests and riots have been organized to fight for black lives, as they experience an extreme amount of inequality and injustice. #BlackLivesMatter is often used to spread awareness on social media platforms, and different links can be found for petitions and places to donate. At these protests you'll find signs that say Black Lives Matter in every direction you look, that is because those three words best describe the progress we want to see made. Millions of people in the world are finally standing up for the African-American community, and fighting for what is right: for the racism, discrimination, and uncalled-for violence to end.

Nine out of ten times when was someone uses #BlackLivesMatter, there will be a response using #AllLivesMatter. All lives should in fact matter, race should not determine someone's worth. All Lives Matter is often said to try and get the attention off of the issues needed to be fixed. They are almost like hidden questions, why focus on one race when we are all here, aren't we all important? Those are definitely solid questions to ask when all parties involved are equal and face no discrimination, with no one's past being hundreds of years of oppression.

That, although, is not the case here. All lives look like they matter when you choose to ignore innocent black people getting shot by white people with power, when you pretend African Americans don't face discrimination when in public, and when you act like everyone is treated the same. It is time to open your eyes.

As Justin Simmons of the Broncos said, "All lives can't matter until Black lives matter." Those eight words sum up why using All Lives Matter is an invalid statement. No one protesting is trying to make one race more powerful than the other, more important than the other. We want equality no matter the color of your skin! Minorities don't want to worry when in a cop's presence, when walking down the street, and when simply sitting in their apartment, they shouldn't have to!

All lives matter to me, to millions of other people too. However, nothing will differ without the criminal justice system and government making some changes. Click here to learn more on how you can take action! Sign a petition, donate if you can, and if you have the chance protest peacefully for what is right! We can make a difference when we stand up together.