Emmett Till was murdered in 1955. He was 14 years old when a group of caucasian men beat him, shot him, gouged out his eyes, tied a cotton gin fan around his neck, and dumped his body in a river in Mississippi. Emmett's only offense was reported flirtation with the female cashier of a general store in town. He was from Chicago, and felt more comfortable, or perhaps was dared, to talk to her. After all, he was a 14 year old boy, and she was said to be pretty. And so Emmett Till went missing, men were questioned but never prosecuted despite their admission of guilt, and his mother said goodbye to her baby at an open casket funeral, allowing Chicago to see what happened when an African American child offended the reprehensible milieu of the 1950s South. Her baby became a statistic; between 1882 to 1968, three thousand, four hundred and forty-six African Americans were lynched. Many occurred before the 1880s and many were not recorded.

Much has changed since Emmett Till's death. America has seen wars, selected eleven men to the highest office in the land, and seen the rise and fall of movements. There have been multiple waves of feminism, gay marriage became legal in all fifty states, and everyone is guaranteed equal protection under the law. Of course, that is one of the country's fundamental rights, isn't it? Isn't each of us endowed with certain inalienable rights? If that were the case, surely the Civil Rights Act of 1964 would not have been necessary. The Act pioneered by Kennedy and signed into law by Johnson barely survived, because many in the House and Senate did not believe it needed to be a part of American law. This legislation, which outlawed discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or country of origin, was deemed by many to be un-American. It is considered by historians to have passed only because Johnson employed the "Johnson Treatment," a method of extreme intimidation to force congressmen to vote accordingly.

In spite of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, racial discrimination ran rampant throughout the country. Men, women, and children were treated inhumanly because of the amount of melanin in their skin. In Oakland, California, in 1966, Huey Newton and Bobby Seale founded the Black Panthers to protect local neighborhoods against police brutality. Members were armed, which was legal at that time under California state law. The Panthers provided free health clinics for their communities, and served some 10,000 free meals to school children. Eventually, after Newton and Seale both spent time in jail, they denounced violence.

Fifty years after the Black Panthers' inception, racial tensions are again some of the nation's most prominent issues. With every news update comes another story of racially motivated crime, Facebook statuses spew vitriol from varying perspectives, either praising or condemning those who speak out against modern day police brutality. Everyone has an opinion. Everyone wants to be right. Hardly anyone can admit that 2016 America is not a post-racist society.

The deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile have whipped America into a frenzy. There are those who are appalled that officers who are sworn to protect and serve everyone, regardless of race, would kill men who did not have their weapons raised. And then there are those who say that if Castile and Sterling had complied, if they had no prior records, if they resisted less, then they would not be dead. Sterling's and Castile's deaths have caused many to take up the cause of the Black Lives Matter movement, a nonviolent organization that aims to "collectively, lovingly and courageously [work] vigorously for freedom and justice for Black people and, by extension all people." But countless others vehemently denounce Black Lives Matter, calling it racist and un-American. Many, like those who instead use the phrase 'All Lives Matter," seem to think that by saying "Black Lives Matter," African Americans and their allies in the fight against police brutally are inherently discounting the importance of other lives.

Philando Castile worked as a cafeteria supervisor at an elementary school where the students loved him. Parents felt secure knowing their children would see Mr. Phil every day because they knew he, a parent himself, was trustworthy. After all, he'd worked there over a decade. When he was pulled over during a routine traffic stop, he informed the officer that he had a firearm, which was licensed. As Castile reached for his wallet, which the officer instructed him to do, he was shot four times. It did not matter that his gun was legal. It did not matter that he was nice. It did not matter that he was complying with the officer's requests. He was left on the scene while his child and girlfriend watched.

Supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement are not suggesting that Philando Castile's life means more than anyone else's. He was not, theoretically, more or less than anyone who has ever or will ever live. According to the law, he was guaranteed equal rights. But if that is the case, why are African American men nine times more likely to be killed by police than anyone else? They are not inherently more aggressive or more evil. Neither Castile nor Sterling pulled a gun on the officers who killed them. In 2015, one thousand, one hundred and thirty-four people were killed by law enforcement.Fifteen percent of them were African American men, even though they only make up two percent of the population.

When saying, "black lives matter," no one is trying to say that someone's of another race doesn't. It is an affirmation during a time when society is causing individuals who are African American to fear being stopped in traffic, to fear seeing police at convenience stores, to feel as though they are worthless. America, as a general whole, is treating African Americans as though they are disposable.

If the expression were "Foster Children's Lives Matter," perhaps the public would be much more receptive. No one could argue with that very clear message, one that proclaims the value of a population so often forgotten and abused. The intent, of course, is not to take away from the importance of anyone else, but to celebrate the children. That is the message of Black Lives Matter. To provide a voice for those who have been trampled throughout history. To celebrate black lives and memorialize those gone too soon. Protestors are nonviolent and do not condone harassing police officers or the public; they simply want the rights they were promised fifty-two years ago. They want equal treatment and respect, for it not to be assumed they are out to break the law. They want to live. They want their lives to matter as much as yours and your children's.

In Jay-Z's song "99 Problems," he raps about being racially profiled by a police officer. The officer asks, "do you know why I'm stopping you for?" Jay-Z replies, "Because I'm young and I'm black and my hat's real low, am I under arrest or should I guess some more?" The officer informs him he was pulled over for going "55 in a 54" and asks Jay-Z to step out of the car. He wants to know if Jay-Z has a gun because "I know a lot of you are." The exchange continues and the officer wants to search the locked trunk and glove box without probable cause. When Jay-Z asserts his rights, the officer informs him the K-9 unit is on its way. The song, often brushed off as a catchy rap about not having a girlfriend to deal with, addresses issues faced by minorities across the country. In light of the death of Philando Castile, it is even more timely. While no one is trying to elevate African Americans above anyone else, there are those fighting for equality under the law, so incidents so that perhaps life will stop imitating art.

Countless individuals become extremely offended by the Black Lives Matter movement because they think it will make their white lives matter less. They quickly respond with "All Lives Matter," and often tack on a line about how African Americans should really be concerning themselves with that rather than with raising themselves up to crush the white man. To those people, I will issue this reminder: if you truly, truly believe that all lives matter, then you must believe that black lives matter. If you can't believe that black lives matter, then you are lying when you say all lives matter to you. If you say you believe all lives matter because you believe in equality, then you believe in the same things as the Black Lives Matter movement, you just don't want to admit it. Many Christians justify their adherence to a strict "All Lives Matter" diet by saying that Jesus died for all. That is true, of course, but Jesus died for African Americans just as much as he died for you, and I am certain that He is weeping over the amount of unjust deaths that we allow to occur. If you cannot stand and say we allow death to happen unnecessarily, then perhaps you and Christ are not on the same page anyway. Christ died for the right and the wrong. He died for the police officers and the ones they arrest. But that does not excuse the actions of the few who do not properly do their jobs.

I am not a police officer. While I have great respect for them, I do not want to be a police officers. That said, I am certain that it is an unbelievably stressful and frightening and often thankless job. The mental acuity and sheer toughness required and quite a lot to ask of anyone. We elevate police to such a high pedestal and worship them almost like we worship Jesus. Here in the South, at least, we love those who are sworn to protect us. But because it is such a mentally and physically demanding profession, perhaps not everyone who does it should do it. In light of the high numbers of police related fatality, for their safety and for the public's, maybe there are some individuals who do not need to be police officers. Philando Castile's girlfriend said the officer who shot him had a shaking hand the whole time. And then he left the scene while Philando bled out. Alton Sterling's gun was in his pocket while officers held him to the ground, shot him, and then removed the gun from its place. Maybe those men did not need to be officers. I'm sure there are many who will be quick to tell me that it is difficult to know when to shoot at a suspect and when not to, and I understand that. I couldn't do it. I know that I am incapable of making that decision well, and for that reason and others, I will not go into law enforcement. Maybe it is time to reevaluate the kind of men and women who are allowed to protect and serve, because it seems that an increasing number of fallible humans in uniform are hurting people and paying no retribution.

Black Lives Matter because all lives matter. Because everyone should be given equal rights and protection, but black men are dying more because police are killing them more, even when they are unarmed. Because nothing is being done. Because we are wasting time arguing over semantics instead of allowing our hearts to break for those who are burying their sons and daughters.

Emmett Till's life mattered because he was a human,

Alton Sterling's life mattered because he was a human.

Philando Castile's life mattered because he was a human.

America, we let them down. "Liberty and justice for all" are hollow words until we are all truly equal. Until our lives all truly matter the same. Until the news will not tell of another police killing. Of another officer dead in Dallas. Black Lives Matter because your life matters because all life matters. But until equality comes, whenever that day is, the movement will continue. The protestors will march. The writers will write. With or without the approval of the many, the few go on.