STOP "ALL LIVES MATTER"

Black Lives Matter is one of the most important organizations to address race relations since Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. marched on Washington. Dr. King lead the largest civil rights movement this country had ever witnessed, lighting a fire in the souls of many Americans to fight for equality. Now, the burning coals of King’s campaign have been relit and reformed by the likes of Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi to create Black Lives Matter. But, with the passion of the past comes the tradition of opposition as well.

Following perfectly in Martin Luther King Jr.’s footsteps, Black Lives Matter has been tossed into a gauntlet of criticism, hatred and discrimination. Since it’s formation, the movement’s opponents quickly organized themselves into rivaling advocacies. Thus All Lives Matter and White Lives Matter were born. Draped in the guise of equality, these groups work to suppress the voices of minorities and enforce the status quo. Unfortunately, these organizations have gained unsettling popularity, with countless tweets and photos flooding social media sporting the #alllivesmatter or #whitelivesmatter hashtags. Simply because someone argues for All Lives Matter does not mean that they’re racist, but it does mean they are playing into the old tradition of silencing the minorities.

Since the origin of America’s racial tensions, blacks among other marginalized groups have been stripped of their ability to speak out. Slaves were severely punished and sometimes killed for learning how to read or write, and then even after slavery was abolished the majority of African­Americans weren’t able to vote until a century later. President Lyndon B. Johnson implemented more discreet tactics when he pushed Martin Luther King Jr. to divert his voice towards poverty, instead of civil rights. Not to mention how the white majority government of America has consistently spied on and plotted to ruin many civil rights activists such as King, James Meredith, E.D. Nixon among many others. The white man stitching close the lips of the black population is a racist tradition, which has learned to hide itself better over the years. It’s most recent incarnation is All Lives Matter, perfectly dressed up as a plea for “real” equality in our nation. White Lives Matter is simply white supremacy’s inversion of Black Lives Matter. They flip attention back to the least threatened race in our country, while hypocritically imitating the same single­race narrative they claim Black Lives Matter uses to discriminate.

Another reason we should avoid the All Lives Matter mentality is due to it’s logical pitfalls. The basis of their argument is that all lives matter, therefore we should reject highlighting the issues of a specific group. If we lived in a fantasy world where all our problems are whisked away when we believe in each other and hold hands in a circle, then maybe All Lives Matter would work. Unfortunately we don’t exist in an advertisement for tweens, so we have to try a little harder to find social justice. Attempting to encompass the entire population into a movement for one race’s equality is pointless. We can’t point out specific problems for a specific group of people when we try to generalize those issues for everyone. Opal Tometi famously combated All Lives Matter with his analogy to houses. If there are two houses, and one is stable and the other is burning, we should be attempting to dowse the fire in the second house. The All Lives Matter mentality would ask us to apply water to both houses, dividing much­needed attention where we need to focus on the immediate emergency.

Another aspect of the All Lives Matter agenda is the police appreciation branch called; Blue Lives Matter. The Blue Lives Matter movement has backing from many liberals as well as an association with the government and is therefore much harder to combat. Many will claim the lives of police don’t matter, but that response is just as discriminatory, cruel and self­destructive as racism against blacks. Cops are usually blamed for the wider problem of racism and corruption in our country, despite them only providing a handful of extreme examples. Celebrating the murder of police in Dallas or Baton Rouge is purely cruel and heartless; especially when there is no evidence those specific police ever committed acts of racial profiling. Nonetheless, Blue Lives Matter is not only used to represent and support police, it is another instrument used to silence the black voice. Unfortunately the lines become blurred and even if you support cops and blacks, Blue Lives Matter continues to function like All Lives Matter is preventing African­American, minority progress.

So how do we respond to this All Lives Matter cry for equality? Despite what some aggressive opponents may try to do, simply labeling All Lives Matter supporters as bigots, racists and rednecks will not persuade many people. Instead, we must create practical alternatives to highlight the faults in All Lives Matter’s message. One saying that has been effective is #AllLivesDidn’tMatter, a phrase focused on pointing out the dark history of America’s racism when many lives were forgotten. Examples include the Trail of Tears, the theft of Mexican land, slavery’s durability and cruelty among many other events that damaged minorities and destroyed countless lives. All Lives Didn’t Matter helps us understand how many times the white majority has imprisoned, killed and tortured minorities and then covered it all up. Another way to combat All Lives Matter is to ask those who support it to march alongside Black Lives Matter. If they truly believe all lives matter then they should be willing to support all lives, including the scores of people demanding for racial equality under the banner of Black Lives Matter. If All Lives Matter is truly advocating for universal equality then they should be willing to set aside their widened view and focus on specific instances of progress. Black Lives Matter is one of those specific instances; sure, it has many flaws and inconsistencies, but right now we are in a special moment. Right now, we as a society have the chance to build another legacy alongside those created by Martin Luther King Jr. and his many associates. All lives do matter, but distracting the world by searching for an unrealistic goal is ineffective and immoral. Guilt­ridden white America has covered up their wrongdoings long enough, it is time to accept the past and move forward. Instead of using All Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter as ways to avert attention from black pride, we should support Black Lives Matter and allow African­American empowerment to bloom. All Lives Matter will never be an appropriate response, it is offensive, white supremacist and ignorant. Maybe after we grow up as a society, we can advocate for equality with the distractions and racism on the side.

#blacklivesmatter #blacklivesmatter #BLM