In the past week, I learned that students from the high school I attended did something truly remarkable: during a spirit week, for the America-themed day, a collection of students decided to wear all black clothing in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
To band together and do something this progressive and controversial in a public high school setting was a brave move. I was highly impressed that the school I left behind was taking steps forward and the administration was supporting them.
However, I was disappointed and angry to find out that there were certain students who did not support this effort, and some were even outraged by the students in the all-black apparel. It surprises me every day to discover that there are still young people who do not support the BLM movement, a movement that contrary to certain people’s beliefs, is meant to unite us.
When President Barack Obama was elected in 2008 and became the first African American to win the presidency in the history of the United States, the rest of the world viewed this as a huge step forward for our country. It seemed like our country was beginning to redeem itself from its racist past.
Unfortunately though, it seems that the opposite effect has taken place. In the past few years, there has been a number of killings involving white police officers and unarmed black civilians that have been highly covered by national news. In the same year that Barack Obama was re-elected, Trayvon Martin was killed in the infamous shooting involving Florida’s controversial Stand Your Ground policy. This shooting, followed by many others, sparked the Black Lives Matter movement, an activist movement that brings attention to systemic racism still plaguing African Americans in this country.
Even though I am a white man, Black Lives Matter is very important to me, and it should matter to everyone else too. Recently, there has been a countermovement titled All Lives Matter, that argues that BLM overlooks other races and groups that are victims of violence in the U.S. as well. However, this movement foolishly ignores the whole point of Black Lives Matter.
Black Lives Matter campaigns for the African American community in this country, because even to this day, there is still racism against black people. Neither our law enforcement nor our judicial system treats black people equally. When we repeatedly see unarmed African Americans getting shot or killed in questionable situations, it shows that there is a problem, and when people, especially white people, try to diminish this issue by taking the word “black” out of the movement, it only exacerbates the problem.
Just because the words “white” or “hispanic” or “asian” are not in the name does not mean that these groups of people are unimportant or unaffected by racism. But the African American community has been victimized by racism since the creation of this country. The black race has felt the pain of this racism for centuries, and since this is still occurring today, people are demanding change.
I know plenty of white people who are completely willing to say that they “have black friends” or they “like black artists”. However, these people are unwilling to defend these African American people by showing their support for BLM. Whether you agree with me or not, when you say “All Lives Matter,” you are turning your back on any black person that you have ever called a friend. You are turning your back on the systemic racism that continues to exist in this country, and you are creating the impression that you do not want to see change in this country. Being “colorblind” does not mean you are safe from being a racist. In fact, it’s the exact opposite. Those who are willing to see color and appreciate all of them for their individuality and beauty are those who are not racist. The people who can see the African American race and who understand that black people are treated unequally in this country are the ones who are not racist.
Kris Straub illustrated this idea perfectly in his viral political cartoon, which demonstrates the fallacy of All Lives Matter by creating a scene where someone says “All Houses Matter” even though there is only one house that is currently on fire.
https://twitter.com/krisstraub/status/751163631300063232/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Black Lives Matter is important to all races, because the sooner we can recognize each race and the conflicts that they have to face, the sooner we will be able to unite our nation and appreciate all of the great diversity that it has to offer. It is astonishing to me that one of the top two contenders we have in our presidential election this year is a man who has repeatedly made sexist, homophobic, islamophobic, and generally racist comments throughout the entire process. The fact that there are people in this country who can support a man who makes such frequent offensive comments and who supports racist policies, such as stop-and-frisk, just shows that this is still a prominent issue.
We need to make progress towards love, acceptance, and equality for all. This is what the Black Lives Matter movement is attempting to do, and no one should try to change it, or diminish its importance. All races do matter, but some people need to be made aware that black lives matter just as much as other lives.
