Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a couple of PPs have already articulated well, black lives matter does not mean that all races do not matter. Nowhere in the movement's title does it say "only" black lives matter. Nowhere. Since this country's founding, black people have suffered discrimination and oppression, both at the individual and, most importantly and enduringly, systemic level. Just about every institution that this country holds dear - the police, schooling, higher education, government - upholds the legacy of racism through its discriminatory systems. This is not an opinion, it is a fact. Black lives matter does not mean that your non-black life does not matter (and really, it's not about you and is somewhat insensitive to make it about yourself). It means that at every level of our society, black lives are devalued. It is a cry for equality.

Furthermore, I think it is important to address the notion of white privilege, which can be tricky for some people to understand. This is a concept that takes a good deal of introspection. White privilege does not mean that your life isn't hard, or that you don't face other forms of systemic oppression (being a woman, being poor, being gay, being Jewish). BUT, it means that your race does not make your life harder and that there are certain privileges that come from being white. You are more likely to be hired for a job. You are more likely to be believed by doctors. You are more likely to receive a loan. You are more likely to see people who look like you on TV and in movies. You are more likely to be accepted to college (despite what you might say about affirmative action, which works to narrow a preexisting gap, this is absolutely true, and I don't want to hear anyone try to say that being a URM gives you an advantage in college admissions processes; that statement is ill-informed and frankly racist). And, as is particularly relevant now, you are less likely to be arrested, incarcerated, or killed by the police. Please do not try to say that white people commit fewer crimes. White people commit the same "crimes" for which black people are most routinely arrested and imprisoned, such as marijuana possession. In the eyes of the law, white people are simply given the benefit of the doubt. So, here comes what is perhaps the hardest pill to swallow: all white people are racist. This does not mean that you are some sort of Klan-like figure who hates every black person he sees (although these people still exist). It means that you actively benefit from the systemic oppression of black people. And it is our responsibility as non-black people, and particularly white people, to confront our privilege and do something about it.

So, what can we do? We can educate ourselves - books such as White Fragility, The Fire Next Time, and How to be an Anti-Racist are all good starting places. Listen to black organizers in your community (of which there are countless many in DC) and figure out how best to support them. Engage online and offline. One of the best and most meaningful things you can do is give money; a quick Google search will direct you to bail funds, community outreach programs, and more. Talk to your family members and kids about race. Write your representatives. Go campaign - it is an election year, after all. Sign petitions. Make better hiring choices. Don't call the police because you feel "threatened" by someone who is just minding their own business. Listen to and believe black voices. Read up on your American history, and look at how black perspectives have historically been ignored. Examine some of our cultural imaginaries, such as the idea that the Boston Tea Party was a Patriotic Act of Revolution, but these riots are "thuggish." (Hint: the Boston Tea Party resulted in lots of property loss and was hardly popular with the British and bystanding colonists alike. How do we remember them now?). And please don't invoke MLK's name when trying to criticize these uprisings. As he himself said, "rioting is the language of the unheard." That double standard is precisely why we need to encourage the notion that black lives matter. Because black people are criminalized, criticized, and subjugated as the result of this country's racist history. And why does property damage upset you more than the murder of innocent people?[b] Think deeply about that.

If you're on this thread, you probably have the privilege to do something. Instead of thinking about how much the rioting upsets you, think about what you can do to address the underlying causes. These riots don't happen in a vacuum - they are because black people have been crying out (peacefully often) for people to help them, and still yet they are derided and their oppression continues. This is why they say "black lives matter" and not all lives - because "all" lives do not face the discrimination they do.

Please, I urge you, try to understand what it means for black lives to matter, and what you can do to make it so.

Black lives matter, and too few people know and show it.

Nothing is going to change until white people and black people stop viewing themselves and others as white or black and just view themselves and others as people.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a couple of PPs have already articulated well, black lives matter does not mean that all races do not matter. Nowhere in the movement's title does it say "only" black lives matter. Nowhere. Since this country's founding, black people have suffered discrimination and oppression, both at the individual and, most importantly and enduringly, systemic level. Just about every institution that this country holds dear - the police, schooling, higher education, government - upholds the legacy of racism through its discriminatory systems. This is not an opinion, it is a fact. Black lives matter does not mean that your non-black life does not matter (and really, it's not about you and is somewhat insensitive to make it about yourself). It means that at every level of our society, black lives are devalued. It is a cry for equality.

Furthermore, I think it is important to address the notion of white privilege, which can be tricky for some people to understand. This is a concept that takes a good deal of introspection. White privilege does not mean that your life isn't hard, or that you don't face other forms of systemic oppression (being a woman, being poor, being gay, being Jewish). BUT, it means that your race does not make your life harder and that there are certain privileges that come from being white. You are more likely to be hired for a job. You are more likely to be believed by doctors. You are more likely to receive a loan. You are more likely to see people who look like you on TV and in movies. You are more likely to be accepted to college (despite what you might say about affirmative action, which works to narrow a preexisting gap, this is absolutely true, and I don't want to hear anyone try to say that being a URM gives you an advantage in college admissions processes; that statement is ill-informed and frankly racist). And, as is particularly relevant now, you are less likely to be arrested, incarcerated, or killed by the police. Please do not try to say that white people commit fewer crimes. White people commit the same "crimes" for which black people are most routinely arrested and imprisoned, such as marijuana possession. In the eyes of the law, white people are simply given the benefit of the doubt. So, here comes what is perhaps the hardest pill to swallow: all white people are racist. This does not mean that you are some sort of Klan-like figure who hates every black person he sees (although these people still exist). It means that you actively benefit from the systemic oppression of black people. And it is our responsibility as non-black people, and particularly white people, to confront our privilege and do something about it.

So, what can we do? We can educate ourselves - books such as White Fragility, The Fire Next Time, and How to be an Anti-Racist are all good starting places. Listen to black organizers in your community (of which there are countless many in DC) and figure out how best to support them. Engage online and offline. One of the best and most meaningful things you can do is give money; a quick Google search will direct you to bail funds, community outreach programs, and more. Talk to your family members and kids about race. Write your representatives. Go campaign - it is an election year, after all. Sign petitions. Make better hiring choices. Don't call the police because you feel "threatened" by someone who is just minding their own business. Listen to and believe black voices. Read up on your American history, and look at how black perspectives have historically been ignored. Examine some of our cultural imaginaries, such as the idea that the Boston Tea Party was a Patriotic Act of Revolution, but these riots are "thuggish." (Hint: the Boston Tea Party resulted in lots of property loss and was hardly popular with the British and bystanding colonists alike. How do we remember them now?). And please don't invoke MLK's name when trying to criticize these uprisings. As he himself said, "rioting is the language of the unheard." That double standard is precisely why we need to encourage the notion that black lives matter. Because black people are criminalized, criticized, and subjugated as the result of this country's racist history. And why does property damage upset you more than the murder of innocent people?[b] Think deeply about that.

If you're on this thread, you probably have the privilege to do something. Instead of thinking about how much the rioting upsets you, think about what you can do to address the underlying causes. These riots don't happen in a vacuum - they are because black people have been crying out (peacefully often) for people to help them, and still yet they are derided and their oppression continues. This is why they say "black lives matter" and not all lives - because "all" lives do not face the discrimination they do.

Please, I urge you, try to understand what it means for black lives to matter, and what you can do to make it so.

Black lives matter, and too few people know and show it.

TL;DR: Black lives matter doesn't mean that white lives don't. It just means that white lives don't ever face the same oppression that black ones do. And it white people's responsibility to stop that.

+1

But instead if stating it as their responsibility to change it, more like white people Acknowledge their privilege.

Yeah, why don’t you ask some unemployed coal minor to check his white privilege?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The name comes across as "only black lives matter" and I know that is not the intention.

Do you feel that way about other organizations whose name reflects the people they advocate for? Do you think the American Heart Association must hate people with liver disease?

Anonymous wrote:The BLM needs to condemn looting and violent protests and stop being so pissed about every little thing (I don’t mean their main cause, but rather about people not being woke enough in their eyes).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The name comes across as "only black lives matter" and I know that is not the intention.

It doesn’t come across that way unless you are ignorant of why the movement was formed. How often are the cops killing unarmed white men or Asian women and getting away with it?

Anonymous wrote:The BLM name is now associated with riots, vandalism, and looting. To get real support, it needs to rebrand.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about “ALL Lives Matter”?

Let's see: What about "With Liberty and Justice for All?" How's that been going for Black Lives these last 300 years or so?

It’s not about the last 300 years. Look at today. We had a great black president. We have many successful black folks. But, they don’t count.

And people hated him so much and hated us so much for voting for him that they voted for Trump as punishment. One Black President is not proof of a post racial society.

it is proof of progress. If we can't acknowledge progress, how do we know what we are working towards or how to measure it?

So basically you think “Black people got a president, it’s time to stop complaining now”?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about “ALL Lives Matter”?

Let's see: What about "With Liberty and Justice for All?" How's that been going for Black Lives these last 300 years or so?

It’s not about the last 300 years. Look at today. We had a great black president. We have many successful black folks. But, they don’t count.

And people hated him so much and hated us so much for voting for him that they voted for Trump as punishment. One Black President is not proof of a post racial society.

it is proof of progress. If we can't acknowledge progress, how do we know what we are working towards or how to measure it?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The name comes across as "only black lives matter" and I know that is not the intention.

Like braids come across as too "ethnic" in the workplace, right?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about “ALL Lives Matter”?

Let's see: What about "With Liberty and Justice for All?" How's that been going for Black Lives these last 300 years or so?

It’s not about the last 300 years. Look at today. We had a great black president. We have many successful black folks. But, they don’t count.

And people hated him so much and hated us so much for voting for him that they voted for Trump as punishment. One Black President is not proof of a post racial society.

Anonymous wrote:The name comes across as "only black lives matter" and I know that is not the intention.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about “ALL Lives Matter”?

Let's see: What about "With Liberty and Justice for All?" How's that been going for Black Lives these last 300 years or so?

It’s not about the last 300 years. Look at today. We had a great black president. We have many successful black folks. But, they don’t count.