“All lives matter” as a chant or on a poster is claiming my patience and my spirt. When I see those words, all I actually see is “I am white and my life matters too y’all” but we already know you feel that way Karen. Your life has always mattered Karen just like mine. Life (we can all ethically agree) matters.
It’s just that saying “all lives matter” in the middle of this moment is giving- ignorant and insulting to the very specific and undeniable racism at hand in this country. If you actually care about all lives then you will have no problem fighting for and identifying the group of people who are in danger for their lives. The fight is for Black lives. It’s not a hard concept it just requires some emotional intelligence.
African Americans have been singled out and terrorized repeatedly for years by racism. Period. The mistreatment of African Americans in this country has been an abomination for centuries -we just finally have it recorded on camera now.
We clearly don’t live in a world where we have acted like all lives matter or we wouldn’t be having to justify to anyone why you can’t murder and oppress people because you have some whacked emotional response the color of their skin.
Every decent person with a functioning brain and half a heart already knows conceptually that all life matters. However if all lives ACTUALLY mattered to everyone with the power to TAKE life then black lives would not specifically be the ones in danger and being taken would they?
It would be more appropriate to say all lives matter if the world around us actually ACTED like ALL lives matter. But we STILL don’t all act that way.
Until the injustice, oppression and murder stops we have to fight for the lives of the people who have not been treated like they matter equally in society. It’s Black lives that we are talking about right now- not all lives.
Equality means the bringing up of the marginalized to the fairness and safety the rest of us can peacefully enjoy. To do that we name the movement something that brings into full light the group we are fighting for (Black Lives Matter). If you don’t get that concept RIGHT NOW in the climax of this you probably never will.
It will take all of us who care about African American lives to make sure this becomes a safe world for not just the lives of our African American friends and the African Americans in our families today but also for the next generation of the African American Children of the future. All the other lives in current positions of power are not the ones in danger.
African Americans need to know that their lives matter to more than just each other. They need to know they matter to us. They need to feel loved, heard and protected before all of this separates all of us from people we love. That’s why we are saying Black Lives Matter. That’s why we are taking whatever actions each of us can to ensure that Black Lives Matter.
This is America. I love my country and I believe that we will all come together through this and anything else we are faced with. Let’s not argue over rhetoric and let’s get to work keeping this country great. Doing nothing is never an adult option but sometimes humans make it one and hope other people will do the work.
Except letting other people lead the charge doesn’t work or it would have worked in Rome, Germany, Jerusalem, Africa, Cambodia and so on. It took everyone to fight those battles. It still takes all of us and it will always take all of us.
White people: Pick a side and don’t hide behind fancy words or elaborate tit for tat excuses explaining why you can or can’t get behind equality.
Either stand up as a racist or stand against racism by how you treat people and how you act when you witness someone being mistreated. It’s very simple and it starts at home and in your circle of people you know and care for.
What oppression was overcome totally peacefully in the history of the world?
Answering that question doesn’t justify burning businesses down but it does shed some light on human behavior when people feel powerless.
What war against evil has been won without disruption?
Being a non racist isn’t good enough to help end racism and you may have to come out of your safe place and speak up when you witness something being done wrong.
White people with morals: look at your heritage and see that someone in your family tree also was oppressed at some point in history and fought to be treated fairly. Also realize that the oppressed never get equality with out the help of the people who no longer oppressed.
Jewish people do you understand what it is like to be oppressed? Yes you do.
Italian people do you understand that it hurt your immigrant family to be treated like a second class citizen when they got here?
Cambodian people?
Irish people?
Ask your grandparents who their parent’s parents were and you will find that the blood flowing through your veins is directly related to people who were oppressed somewhere in history.
Have a heart. Have some guts. When did the human race get so weak that all we have is a finger to point instant of two legs to stand on and fight for what is right. Buck up.
What is my point? My point is that not anyone on this planet is unrelated to a group of people who was not prevented from being given the benefit of the doubt at some point.
Not one human being comes from a lineage of people who never once had to struggle. Lucky you if your ancestors fought for you 200 years ago but if you are also now alive during the inequality others are experiencing so then be worthy of what your family tree once fought to gain for you and stand up for someone else.
Educate yourself and realize that if you are breathing you are always in the middle of history and that right now it is our turn to make things better. Black, White, Yellow, and Brown and we have thousands of years of human history with dead ancestors dying to know what in the entire hell is still the problem? It’s not 1890, 1920 or 2019 we have no excuse to think that doing nothing ever helps anything.
What are you going to do?
Decide.
#icantbreathe
CDM Think Tank LLC 