There has been much talk about the slogan ‘Black Lives Matter‘ with many people saying instead that all lives matter. I think it’s a good topic for debate and to gain understanding.
To me, saying ‘all lives matter‘ is to deny that racism exists. It denies the experience of many black people who are not treated as white people would have been. Think of the man who achieved the highest office in America. Would anyone have raised the ‘birther’ question had Barack Obama been white? Saying all lives matter also closes down debate on the issue, suggesting that the very particular problems black communities experience are no different from that of anyone else therefore we shouldn’t talk or do anything about it.
The term ‘black lives matter‘ is not saying that only black lives matter. It means that black lives matter as much as other lives, whether that is in the undue violence meted out to the black community, the discrimination they face in healthcare , employment and housing and in many, many other ways.
I’ll put a link on the next post, explaining why saying all lives matter is wrong. If you only look at one item, please watch All Plates Matter. It sums it up in two minutes. Be part of the solution and not part of the problem.
