From the tactics of Gandhi, to the Civil Rights movement, to the class movements in South Africa, there has been a lot of success for nonviolent movements. However, the tactics Black Lives Matter uses are currently undermining the true platform of what the movement is trying to achieve. On top of this, the organization level has become poor as different sections of the movement begin to use more radical means of protest. I believe in what BLM is trying to achieve, but here are a few things I have to say on the matter.

1. "Black Lives Matter" should have been named "Black Lives Matter, Too."

I am not saying this to undermine what you are trying to achieve, and you all may not agree with me, but "Black Lives Matter" should have been and still should be "Black Lives Mater, too." The "too" at the end just acknowledges that other lives matter, but also points out that the main concern is for African Americans lives. Now, this may seem dumb as the name implicitly states all this; however, clearly everyone did not get that memo. Phrasing matters, especially in the public view. For example, a person could say "I like to watch little children." But did they mean they like to babysit, or did they mean it in a perverted way? These distinctions make a huge difference with how someone or something is perceived. By changing this one little detail, you could have stopped the "All Lives Matter" movement from ever existing, and taking away some of the BLM support.

2. You do not have to love your enemy, but do not hate them.

Yes, this is difficult because you have suffered decades of mistreatment by racist white people, that is understandable. Also, you do not have to be nice to your oppressors. However, if you want to get respect from others, you need to earn it. Would you give respect to someone who cursed at you at you? Would you give respect to a mob screaming “F– you, you filthy white f–-” “f– you and your comfort”? Well, Black Lives Matter protesters did this at Dartmouth. I am by no means saying be silent and take people's shit, but it is important to remember to treat others how you wish to be treated. BLM protesters could have easily just continued with their Black Lives Matter chants without bringing hatred into the equation. You do not have to love your enemy, but it reflects poorly on the movement if you openly hate them. Allowing hatred escalates situations and causes poor communication. It distracts your oppressors when you attack them because they hear the hateful words instead of the meaningful message of the protest. Do you really think this is progressive?

3. Choose carefully where, when, and how you protest.

I agree that you should be protesting at presidential debates and state governmental offices. I am even fine that you all blocked many highways because that was a tactic used in the Civil Rights movement. Striking at these places allows for policy makers to realize that they need to make a change and shows average people that they need to pay attention. However, I do not agree that protesting at the Minneapolis St. Paul Airport was a well-organized decision. Protesting there created a problem for national security. It stopped many loved ones from getting home for the holidays and seeing their families. Who were you trying to target here? The local economy? Airport security? This tactic makes no sense and wrongfully angered many people. If angering people is what you are trying to achieve, was it worth it to lose support? Was it worth it to push those on the fence of BLM to the opposing side? If this was not what you intended and you simply wanted to raise more awareness for BLM, that was not the right place nor time to protest. The level of organization was poor. In the Civil Rights Movement, protesters picked places in which they knew they wanted to change the status quo, such as diners. They picked their battles wisely because they knew for every action, there are consequences. For example, protest leaders did not place a White male and a Black female in the same protest location alone because they did not want to fight the interracial couple battle just yet. They made sure their clothes were tidy so they would be perceived as respectable. Where is that type of goal driven organization in Black Lives Matter?

4. Vandalism is never a successful tactic.

Vandalism is a form of violence. From what I have learned, violence creates a cycle of violence. It provides the justification for governments and opposing groups to either crush the movement or not to comply with what it wishes to achieve. When you defiled the graves and statues commemorating Confederate soldiers, you opened a can of worms. Not only did you decrease public support for your movement, but you gave the government and police forces a reason to act against you. I understand that it can seem like an appropriate response when others vandalize your posters, but as Gandhi said, "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind." It is one thing to make people angry by creating acts of cultural resistance, but it is another to protest in a manner that destroys public property. The town may have still had racist sentiment, but those soldiers graves whom you defiled were long dead and gone. Take a minute to put yourselves in another person's shoes and think about if someone had ripped your family member's grave out of the ground. If someone had spray painted it, and trashed any memory you had. Does this seem moral? Not only this, but you call to have the police investigate vandalized Black Lives Matter posters. Is it not right that you are held to the same legal standard?

Thank you, Black Lives Matter, for making a change in society. Thank you for standing up for unheard voices, and having the courage to do what others have not. But I urge you to make those actions wisely.

Sincerely,

A Student for Justice and Peace