In the wake of the recent tragedies involving police action shootings, the #BLM (Black Lives Matter) campaign has seen a surge in participation through rallies, marches and protests.

There has also been a noticeable increase in whites and other races joining along in the fight to end police brutality and killing and help bring equality and justice for all. That seems to be making folks nervous. Even in 2016, white privilege is alive and thriving unfortunately and seemingly much more aggressive in light of the Trump campaign. Closet racists have come out letting their hate flags fly now that they have a “voice” trying to make America “great” again.

I have actively become part of the BLM movement. I am white, but I have two black sons and a black daughter. I have countless family members and friends who are black. I also feel as people we should stand up for our fellow man regardless if there are ties to home or not.

I think it is reprehensible that in 2016 we still need to march for Blacks to have equality, but if it is needed I will do so. What I need for the people who scream “but all lives matter though” is that while, yes, they do, it’s clear not everyone shares that same sentiment. If they did, Black people wouldn’t be singled out in traffic stops for having a “wide set nose” or the NYPD wouldn’t actively tell their officers to target Blacks and Hispanics. All Lives Matter is little more than way to take the focus off the problem at hand and turn the attention back around to the White population. It’s almost a bigger insult than being openly racist; at least they acknowledge their hate. The “ALM” folks are so self absorbed and so blind to how wrong it is to counter such a powerful movement that they end up sounding ridiculous.

I’ve seen posts on social media with outlandish comparisons from White people like, “well my cousin Jimmy died from smoking meth, but I don’t see anyone rallying for him.”

Why would we? Your cousin Jimmy is an idiot. Alton Sterling was held down and executed by Baton Rouge Police. Philando Castille was only guilty of being black with a wide set nose when he was gunned down in Minnesota with a child in the backseat of his car.

That is injustice. Not your cracked out cousin killing himself with drugs, but black men being slaughtered by Police because they’re black. The Black Lives Matter movement is demanding attention and justice. It’s not supposed to be comfortable. Change and evolution usually aren’t.

The only time in my life that I have seen similar amounts of hate so up close and personal is when we held the Rally for Equality back in 2010 after some students at IUPUI were discriminated against by a vendor at City Market because they refused to make rainbow cookies claiming it was “against their religion.” I remember when my best friend told me about it and all I could think of to say was, “really, people still do that.”

We had a huge outpour of support from the community black and white alike, free thinkers, fellow members of the LBGTQ community and beyond, but we were also met with counter protesters, extreme hate and I received quite a few death threats.

I want you to read that again and fully understand that, I received multiple, very personal, very vehement death threats for holding a rally over cookies.

If racists are that passionate about cookies, my God what do you think their reaction is to police action shootings and people rallying for justice?

This isn’t about you or me, this is about the rights and equality of an entire race that has been oppressed and abused by this country for centuries. I feel every non black citizen of this country, be it white or Asian, gay or straight, cat or dog lovers, none of that matters, I feel we should all be fighting alongside our black brothers and sisters during this tumultuous time.

They need us. That should be what All Lives Matters embodies. Set aside your own agenda to help our fellow people.

We should be able to scream black lives matter at the top of our lungs without an asterisk behind it with a list of other things that also equally matter, in your opinion.