Due to the fact of the past election and everything else going on, people are hearing “Black Lives Matter” more and more. It is getting to the point where almost everyone has an opinion on this movement or movements like it. It’s time to clarify some of the biggest misconceptions that go along with this movement. This article will define what the movement stands for and why it is important.

What does Black Lives Matter stand for?

Black Lives Matter is an international activist movement that campaigns against structural racism and violence towards black people. Before you can draw an opinion on what the actual campaign stands for, let us break down structural racism and violence towards black people actually is.

What is structural racism?

Structural racism has been a feature of the social, economic, and political systems in which we all exist. It’s called a “silent opportunity killer.” So to put things in perspective let me provide an example of structural racism. Think of a university, there may be people of minority backgrounds in leadership positions, however, the higher positions stay predominantly white. These higher positions still dominate the decision-making process which can lead to unintended structural racism.

What is violence towards black people? Why is it an issue?

Police brutality has been a hot topic for years now. Gaining a lot of attention from the death of Freddie Gray and the aftermath of said death. Contrary to popular belief, the Black Lives Matter campaign is not trying to be anti-police. Their goal is to broaden the conversations around state violence. This campaign wants to show how blacks are being dehumanized simply for the color in which they have been born. Statistically speaking, black people face more violence and dehumanizing acts against them by far compared to their white counterparts. This campaign is a tool used to shine a light on these statistics and move towards fewer instances of violence and dehumanizing acts against black people.

Is the Black Lives Matter campaign racist?

This is a common misconception, but this campaign does not intend to place blacks above whites in any way. If anything, it is there to provide an equal playing field for blacks and whites. It is a movement to spread light on issues people face every day just because of the color of their skin.

How can you be white and still support “Black Lives Matter”?

I am honestly surprised how many times people have asked me this. There are many white people that support this movement, myself included. I support it because no human should face acts of violence or structural racism because of the color in which they were born. I did a lot of research to come to my conclusion.

Regardless of what your opinion on the matter is, I hope you take the time to educate yourself on the issues happening everyday around you. I hope you understand why people stand up and fight for what they believe. And most of all I hope we all recognize each other as humans and work towards making society better.