Black Lives Matter is a movement that began in 2012 after Trayvon Martin's killer, George Zimmerman, was acquitted for his crime and the now dead Trayvon Martin who was placed on trial for his own death. Black Lives Matter is a organization that was created to take action against the blatant institutional racism that continues to prevail in American society. It exists to empower black people. It doesn't exist to encourage white hatred. It doesn't exist to encourage the killing of police officers. Black Lives Matter was created to tackle the problems black people have been facing since this country's inception. We don't say "Black Lives Matter" because we think black lives matter more than everybody else. We say "Black Lives Matter" because time and time again, our society has stripped away the integrity of black people. It's ridiculous that every time the black community tries to uplift itself, there are always those that view our empowerment as a threat.

For all those "All Lives Matter" supporters, I think it's time to take a look into reality. The truth is, all life does matter. Every life is precious and should be treated as such. The sad reality is, just because all life is precious doesn't mean each life is going to be honored that way. To say that "All Lives Matter" is to ignore the countless atrocities committed against the black population in America.

All lives didn't matter when African people were taken from their homeland and stripped of their cultural heritage to spend the next 400 years in bondage. All lives didn't matter in the Jim Crow South where black bodies hanged from trees and black people were preached the lie of "separate but equal." All lives didn't matter when the Ku Klux Klan bombed a church in Birmingham and killed four little black girls. All lives didn't matter when black soldiers fought for this country and returned home just to be disrespected because of the color of their skin. All lives didn't matter when peaceful black protesters were beaten by police officers and racist white mobs just for their right to be treated like a human being.

My point is, black life has constantly been disrespected in the United States of America. No group in this country has experienced the trauma African Americans have experienced. I don't say this for sympathy or for any sort of pity, I say this because it is the truth. When we say "Black Lives Matter" it's because this country has a history of proving to us that they don't. "Black Lives Matter" is an outcry for justice. It's an outcry for freedom. It is not an outcry for bigotry of any kind. Black Empowerment does not equal white hatred. Please reconsider the next time you promote "All Lives Matter" on social media or any other platform. The universal truth is that all lives do matter, but it's the black ones that are being targeted. It's the black ones that are constantly neglected. Saying "All Lives Matter" to undermine progress is childish.

Lastly, violence is the last thing that will heal the turmoil already brewing within this country. There should be no reason why nonviolent protesters are being put into jail. Nonviolent resistance is one of the most beautiful ways to protest a problem, and it's sad because people are being punished for protesting peacefully. Killing cops won't stop the problems the African American community continues to face with police officers. I believe dialogue can fix America's turmoil. If our communities decided to come together and organize to reform the institutions in place, real change will take place in this country. Blaming each other for the problems we see before us won't change anything. It will just add to the division that's already present.