An Essay by Linda Lopez on the questions that lie between “All Lives Matter” and “Black Lives Matter,” as interpreted by a Caucasian woman.
“All lives matter” has become the go-to slogan for people who don’t understand, or don’t want to understand the Black Lives Matter movement.
The slogan is part of the offensiveness people experience when they hear it. When combined with anger, inappropriate verbiage, privileged attitudes, aggression or condescension, the slogan takes on a powerful admonition.
Replace the word “all” with its synonym “everyone.”
“Everyone Matters”
The questions we must ask ourselves;
If everyone truly matters, then how can we, as part of the “everyone,” safeguard the “matters” portion of the slogan?
We need to clarify in our own minds just who we believe to be included in “everyone.”
Are homeless included? What about immigrants? How about the unemployed, do they matter? Do the elderly matter? People with different physical and mental capabilities are included, right? For sure women and children living in housing projects are part of “everyone.” Do indigenous people, and people of color matter? Are they not part of “everyone”?
When confronted with “Black lives matter,” we ought to examine our motive for using the slogan “all lives matter” as a retort. In this case, using the slogan as a retort is micro-aggression.
If, in fact, “all lives matter” why isn’t every legislative representative working toward that reality? Why aren’t people who look like me taking necessary steps to prove it?
If “all lives matter” why are we allowing voter suppression, economic oppression, and poverty to plague segments of our society?
If you believe all lives matter, then shouldn’t any disenfranchised segment of our society be able to draw attention to their plight?
The next time you are confronted with “Black Lives Matter,” remember why the cry is important. The demand to be included as part of “all” (everyone), with no bias due to the color of one’s skin, is in part what drives the Black Lives Matter movement.
The unanswered murders of unarmed Black people is part of the movement. Racial profiling, harassment, assault, and humiliation of Black people is part of the movement.
In conclusion, using the slogan “All Lives Matter” when confronted with “Black Lives Matter” the people who look like me need to embrace, and understand that it is not a slogan. It is a cause, purpose, and a hunger to be justly included as part of the “everyone.”
When deciding to use the “All Lives Matter” slogan, ask yourself why you need to hide behind that slogan, when being white is and of itself privilege.
Linda Lopez
Resident of City of Antioch
17 comments
Black lives matter is bullshit! If any other race were to be mentioned in that title blacks would be crying about it. Being white is not a privilege any more than being black is a handicap.
Dont try to make white people feel guilty because so many blacks cant just follow rules of being a basic , productive person.
Blacks need to figure out their own cultural failures.
Spoken like a true bigot and racist, who probably considers yourself a great person and righteous Christian. Please STFU!
“Remember why the cry is important. The demand to be included as part of “all” (everyone), with no bias due to the color of one’s skin, is in part what drives the Black Lives Matter movement.” – Linda Lopez
Saying all black lives matter doesn’t meant that no other lives matter. It means that our society, especially our law enforcement and industrialized prison system, has historically targeted black people disproportionately than other races. This doesn’t mean white, Asians, Mexicans are not also target and harassed by cops (they also are). African-Americans make up %13 percent of our pupils took but make up %24 of the unarmed police killings we all have seen filmed in broad daylight. For anyone that knows basic math, this means black have been deemed not to matter in the eyes of who are supposed to serve & protect. Black Lives Matter.
Killedbypolice.net
“Black Lives Matter” is a good slogan. But the organization is something I cannot support. Go to their web site and read section “what we believe”. You will find that they are communist activists and that they are anti-family. They have also promoted violence in the past. Giving something a nice name tricks you to believe it is nice.
TSG, unless you’re supplying us with some actual verbatim quotes from their site it’s just plan old lying or just straight hearsay; the Black Lives Matter site says nothing about being “anti-family.” The entire movement is about stopping the racist methods of a system that tears families apart, namely locking up/killing black men rampantly more than other American groups.
Pastor, since you have difficulty to read, here you go:
anti-family: “We disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and “villages” that collectively care […]”
communists: “[…] and to co-creating alongside comrades […]”, “We engage comrades with the intent to learn […]”, and the whole site is typical communist revolutionary talk.
TSG, I know it might be tempting to believe but Black Lives Matter is not a cult group with one leader and one group that obeys orders; this goes beyond that. These “tenants” you quote are much looser than you make them out to be. “Disrupting” nuclear families simply means extending your love & support beyond your tiny household and few family members; it means embracing community. This isn’t “anti-family” as you claim; it simply runs contrary to ideologies that would have us ignore our neighbor’s plight.
And as for the use of the word “comrades,” yes, this word is often used in Communist literature, but Black Lives Matter is not an economic ideology like communism or capitalism; the use of “comrades” denoted the connection between peoples with the similar anti-racist goal. Your claim just sounds extreme on purpose and very Nixon-ish on purpose.
Sorry Pastor, I am reading the words as what they mean. You seem to read them as what you want them to mean, like this:
“Disrupting” = extending your love & support
I understand that the idea of extending attention, love & care outside of the confines of your tiny bigoted home must seem disruptive to your way of life; sometimes static systems of habituated patterns of thought and action need disrupting. That’s how this country was made. The epoch of white bigotry is ending, say your farewells.
Black Lives Matter are a radical anti-American anarchist group.We should boycott T-Mobile and ABC for supporting them. Also all the dems that took a knee for them in congress the other day.
Actually we should finally put it in official writing that the KKK is a terrorist organization, the true anti-American anarchist group. We wouldn’t be where we are right now as a society if white supremacists, such as yourself, hadn’t permeated every strata of the American justice power structure. You should be ashamed for not knowing history and your place in the timeline. A sorry excuse for an American.
Hey Pastror! You are the one who is ignorant of this country’s history and it shows. Who discovered this country? What was the reason for this discovery? Who were the first people to move into these new lands? Who were the Founding Fathers and what was their agenda and whom did it involve? I bet you don’t have one clue!
Maddy, How can a country that was already inhabited be “discovered”? Was it “discovered”or STOLEN?
Right you are, Martin! I couldn’t have said it better. You are A GREAT AMERICAN!
Blacks are being played for fools now every day. BLM could care less about “racial justice”. They only use that as a ruse to gain power for what is in fact their Marxist Communist organization desiring to take over our nation. We won’t let them do that. They will never have power and they better get used to it.
Most donations to BLM go to Biden’s campaign. They believe he will be their easily-controlled puppet in the White House.
I am shocked that most blacks fall for being used every time!
I would expect more from someone who’s last name is “Chang”. Shouldn’t you be more concerned about the origins of the coronavirus!?
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