I cannot count the amount of hatred towards Black Lives Matter I see on my Facebook wall each day. It no longer makes me angry, but sad. I pity my family members and friends who don't understand the basis of this movement is peace and what it means.
"What about All Lives Matter?"
Yes, obviously all lives matter. Just because you say you like Beyonce doesn't mean you don't like other pop singers. Just because you like chocolate ice cream doesn't mean you hate every other flavor of ice cream. Just because the black community of America is hurting and angry and wanting justice and recognition that they matter doesn't mean that they think White, Hispanic, Asian or Middle-Eastern people don't matter.
I will say this as I proceed with the rest of this article: I am privileged. I am a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, upper-middle class college student. I have a different view on this topic than a black woman in my place, a black man in my place, and black men and women who have not had the privileges I've had in life. I look at the world through the lens of white privilege. I am not at all authorized to speak on behalf of the Black Lives Matter movement, nor do I represent all of its supporters. I am one white girl, and these are my opinions.
Black Lives Matter is, at its heart, a reaction to harmful stereotypes. Racial profiling, though technically illegal, is still a significant problem in the United States. According to statistics by the NAACP, "African Americans are incarcerated at nearly six times the rate of whites", and they "constitute nearly 1 million of the total 2.3 million incarcerated population".
A lot of people use the above statistics to argue for racial profiling. "There's so many of them in prison, surely this means they're more prone to crime!" That is not necessarily true. Because of racial profiling, a "chicken and the egg" paradox arrives. What came first? Racial profiling or minority incarcerations? You could argue for it either way, but the fact of the matter is that racism causes both of them. For every drug-carrying black man, there are three drug-carrying white men who go unpunished. And that's just how it's been.
Does that not seem fair? Does it make you angry? Good. Then you understand the broken hearts behind the Black Lives Matter movement.
These men and women and children are trying to get recognized as people, something that those who dehumanize the movement negate by saying "All Lives Matter". As I said before, of course all human lives are equal. But black lives are in danger right now. They need attention; they need recognition. They need justice.
#BlackLivesMatter
