#BlackLivesMatter. #BlackLivesMatter. #BlackLivesMatter. I've said it before and I'll say it again.
This hashtag should look familiar to you. If it doesn't, then I find it safe to assume that you're either: A) a hermit or B) a robot. Take your pick.
Black Lives Matter is an activist group in the U.S. that was created in the aftermath of the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the fatal Florida shooting of unarmed African-American teenager, Trayvon Martin.
See more: #AllLivesMatter, not just #BlackLivesMatter
Since then, Black Lives Matter has become a well-known group, being particularly active on social media. The movement has also protested the cases of unarmed African-Americans who died at the hands of law enforcement, including — but definitely not limited to — Tamir Rice, Walter Scott and Freddie Gray. Many people have the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter on their social media accounts to spread awareness. Including me.
Sounds like a worthy cause, right? Well, a lot of people disagree, so let me break it down for you.
A common misconception of the Black Lives Matter movement is that people who support this cause are saying that other lives don't matter. This is simply not the case. Just like Breast Cancer Awareness Month isn't saying that we should forget about other cancers. Just like Save the Amazon Rainforest charities aren't saying that no one cares about other forests.
This has even trickled down to democratic presidential candidate when Martin O'Malley said, "Black lives matter. White lives matter. All lives matter," at the 2015 Netroots Nation Conference in Phoenix. O'Malley received backlash for his statements and later apologized. O'Malley isn't the only democratic presidential candidate who has been tone-deaf to this issue. Both Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have been criticized for the same reasons.
Yes, #AllLivesMatter. Of course all lives matter. The Black Lives Matter movement is just saying that right now, for the moment we want to focus on black lives. We want to focus on the black lives that are constantly being lost at the hands of police officers. We want to focus on the black lives that are marginalized in a country built on the backs of their ancestors. And that's OK.
Saying "All lives matter!" in response to someone saying, "Black lives matter!" not only distracts from the problem at hand, but silences the voice of people who have a painful history of being stepped on and ignored.
Society has consistently shown us that Black lives are not held to the same level of value as other lives, inside and outside of American culture. The documentary "Dark Girls" did an excellent job of highlighting discrimination and micro-aggressions against people of darker skin tones across the globe.
A study on racial disparities in the California death penalty showed that those who kill whites are over three times more likely to be sentenced to die as those who kill African-Americans. The study also found that a person convicted of a crime is over three times more likely to be sentenced to death simply because the crime was committed in a predominantly white, rural community rather than a diverse, urban area.
These are all things the Black Lives Matter movement tries to touch on and address. These problems are both complex and hard-fought; therefore, needing special attention.
There is nothing wrong or unfair about channeling effort into one specific cause. That's how change happens. If people like Martin Luther King Jr. and W.E.B. Dubois hadn't tuned in on segregation and racism in the Jim Crow South, then would change have ever happened? If people like Dolores Huerta and César Chavez hadn't directed their energy in on rights for Chicano migrant farmers, would change have ever happened?
Of course, as with every movement, there are always outliers. There are always people who take a purpose out of context and manipulate it to serve their own agendas. Many are eager to use Black Lives Matter as a guise for their unjustified hatred and prejudice toward white people. Any person of any race can be unkind and cruel. However, these people do not represent the Black Lives Matter movement as a whole.
Black Lives Matter is not meant to create division. Black Lives Matter is not meant to be anti-white or anti-police or anti-anything. It is simply trying to shed light on injustices that the black community goes through every single day.
If you truly think that all lives matter, then grab a picket and join the protest because this movement should have your support too.
Reach the columnist at nlilley.nl@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter @noelledl_
Editor’s note: The opinions presented in this column are the author’s and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.
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