Why Black Lives Still Matter

Black Lives Matter Facebook cover picture

One summer, a man and his son were training for the upcoming football season. The father knew that a crucial part of conditioning is running and that running uphill in particular has many benefits.  So early that Saturday morning, the two drove to the other side of their subdivision, parked the car, and began to train together on a hill.  An hour later, a police officer approached the two and began to interrogate them about what they were doing and whether or not they lived there. The father was irritated, but he remained calm and explained everything to the officer who informed them that a neighbor had called the police to report “suspicious activity” because she saw two black men in her neighborhood.

Racism.  The word itself makes people uncomfortable.  No doubt right now there are people who will immediately try to rationalize the neighbor’s response.   “She saw strangers around her house and she was afraid,” or “She probably would have done the same thing if they were white.”  Perhaps, but what we do know is that she saw two black males and felt fear strong enough to make her call the police.  Although the only injuries in the story are bruised egos, it shines a light on a  fear of the “other-ness” in those who are different, especially towards those whose differences are visible, as with skin color.  Fear, intolerance, or simple homegrown racism created a society in which minorities in many ways are made to feel as if we matter less.  With the recent and highly publicized shootings and murders of black men and women around the country, frustrations toward the society that ignores its people and punishes its citizens unequally have come to the surface on a national level.

The murder of Trayvon Martin by a vigilante and the subsequent acquittal of his killer sparked outrage among a people who have been made to feel marginalized and second class in their own country; the murders of Eric Garner and Mike Brown added fuel to an already raging fire.  From the tragedies grew a movement, one with a simple premise - that Black Lives Matter.  That Black lives are no less valuable than White lives.  That the system which exists in the United States today oppresses and punishes Blacks unfairly.  Citing “[...]centuries of brutality against Black people by the police and by white vigilantes...” as their stimulus, the organization “[...] seek[s] a world in which ALL Black lives matter, and racial hierarchy no longer organizes our lives or yours.”  

Black lives matter.  It’s a simple statement, one that shouldn’t need an asterisk, explanation, or defense. It has grown from a grassroots movement begun online to a national franchise with twenty-six chapters around the country.  Its growth speaks to the need and the desire to celebrate Black life and to fight against the injustice and complacency that has allowed mass incarceration and cycles of poverty to persist.  The movement claims that neither the GOP nor the Democrats have worked hard enough to break these cycles, and as election season continues, they demand that the candidates acknowledge them and address these concerns with actionable solutions. 

    These demands are not made politely. Tired of sitting back, waiting for Hope and Change, Black Lives Matter (BLM) members have often interrupted speeches and directly confronted politicians in order to keep pressure on the issue and not let it fade away as the media shifts their focus. Their actions have angered many who view them as aggressive, loud, and angry, but ultimately directionless.  Many argue that racism is something from the past, and that this movement uses its ghost to get attention; but those who believe that racism is a relic of the past need only to browse BLM’s Facebook page where people boldly celebrate the shooting of Mike Brown and denounce the movement as “racist” and “hypocritical.”

Make no mistake, Mike Brown should have been arrested, and Eric Garner was breaking the law when the police tried to detain him. They committed crimes which justified the police to take action against them, but did they deserve to die? Was it justice for them to be murdered? Should police brutality of this nature be allowed to continue unchecked?  One tactic used by opponents of the BLM movement is to change the conversation and shift focus away from the stated goals of the movement. They use videos showing black people (not necessarily associated with BLM) chanting for revenge and murder and declare that BLM is the source and should be labeled a hate group.  They say that black people kill each other all the time, so there is really not a race problem in the country.  They say that people should just be colorblind, and the fact that the BLM movement explicitly addresses Black lives, the movement itself perpetuates the race problem. Instead, they say we need a movement that celebrates all lives, not just Black lives.  
Republican candidates and supporters have publicly stated that they should change their name and therefore the focus to All Live Matter.  Every life is sacred and we should respect life no matter what.  In light of the recent murders of the police officers, this idea has grown a larger base of support as people work to label BLM as a hate group.  Outspoken critics of the movement such as Fox News (although they are not alone)  like to use Black people who don’t agree with the movement to say, “See? Even your own kind agree with us.” 

All lives do matter and not ONLY Black lives matter.  In the midst of the violence throughout the country, there is a need to sit down and discuss how to protect everyone who calls the United States home.  There are many, both black and white, who feel that the BLM movement only serves to create tension between white and black, police and citizen, and an All Lives Matter movement may be helpful in bridging the gap between these groups.  But an All Lives Matter movement cannot and will not negate the necessity for a Black Lives Matter movement.  Racism and intolerance from both sides permeate the country.  Racism is not a spectre of the past; it is a reality of the present.

Not everyone will agree with the way the current BLM movement conducts their activities, and that’s a good thing.  Disrupting rallies and belligerently confronting candidates may not be the best way to effect change.  There are other ways, better ways to promote a dialogue and bridge the ever widening gap, but condemning the movement as racist and hypocritical is ineffective as well. Telling people that their grievances are not valid, that they should sit down and stop making trouble, that they are the problem when they seek to find a solution, and that the murder and injustice they see is imagined and inconsequential only agitates them further. Telling a group that already feels marginalized to go back to their corner, stop causing trouble, and wait patiently only proves their point.

There is always a need for a movement that challenges lawmakers to address the concerns of the people and seeks to hold those in positions of authority accountable for what they do.  A grassroots organization comprised of young leaders who rose up in the face of tragedy deserves to be listened to.  There is a need for people in this country to listen to and try to understand what others have to say without judgment or anger, and to examine without accusation why people feel marginalized or underprivileged.  And when people disagree, they should do so in kindness and with a willingness to discuss their concerns without simply dismissing the problem as imagined or irrelevant.   

Those who claim to be colorblind to race and ask for a colorblind world are tragically misguided.  Dr. Cornel West says that Martin Luther King Jr. didn't want us to be colorblind.  He wanted us to be love struck. Color is one of the things that makes us unique, and we should appreciate color, not ignore it.  In a society that doesn't do nearly enough to calm fear of the “other” and promote understanding, Black Lives Matter, and there is always room for voices who seek to remind us.