22 thoughts on “We All Need To Matter”

  1. Why is there an assumed qualifier on Black Lives Matter? It doesn’t say ONLY black lives matter. It’s merely calling forward the overwhelming evidence that within our system of government, black lives matter significantly less than white lives.

    That is a problem. Saying All Lives matter, is to suggest that there is NO problem. It suggests that asking for people to consider the utter inequity and injustice that is happening in the US is not a legitimate request.

    Because right now, black lives don’t matter much in our society. Their call to be recognized as mattering should not be diminished by making petty statements about All lives matter.
    White lives have always mattered. No part of our government has ever been rigged against white people.

    It’s a sin and a shame that when a section of our population tries to push an agenda for justice and safety and instead they get called on the carpet for not noting that lives who have never needed any recognition for mattering are being ignored.

    Pay attention. It’s not about white people mattering. It’s about black people not mattering.

    The fact that this isn’t utterly clear is the biggest sign that there is a problem. Because good people don’t see it. All they see is their experience and so they refusing to acknowledge the justice of Black Live Matter campaign.

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    1. I saw two people fighting over this issue on a Facebook page today. They were both white. One claimed that the BLM movement infuriates her because “Blacks feel they’re more deserving of attention.” Judging from the profile pic of the other woman, she has biracial children, so I understand her position. These women were friends, but they didn’t agree on the purpose of the movement.

      Rickey Smiley explained it by using an analogy (and I’m paraphrasing). Firefighters serve our communities to insure the safety of all homes, but when one is one fire, they rush to extinguish the fire and to preserve life. Yes, all homes matter; however, the one that was on fire was in jeopardy. Take that analogy and apply it to the movement. Blacks don’t want special treatment. We want equal treatment. There’s an implied “too” in the BLM statement. #blacklivesmattertoo

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      1. Thanks MM, it takes courage to broach difficult subjects especially when you are going to talk about controversial subjects. I am also a middle-aged white man and people like me aren’t always known for being open minded and willing to say hard things.

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  3. I’ve been caught up in the same argument on social media, I agree that ALL lives matter and there’s nothing new about black men and women being killed by white Police Officers, the only difference is the amount of coverage we have now, the internet, smart phones and social media! I’m a black woman from the Caribbean who attended college in America during the 80s and can tell you, there has ALWAYS been racial tensions in the US. I have black college mates stopped at the traffic light for not other reason than being black and harassed by South Florida Police officers. Travelling to the US I was often asked to step off the line going through immigration, just to be questioned as to why I was entering into the states, who was funding my education, what my parents did, etc. All this was in the 80s, before 9/11 and after slavery has been abolished!

    When a white cop kills a black person, there’s sudden outcry for justice, the media is saturated with images of the incident with no regards to grieving families, the so called civil rights movement go in a feeding frenzy for their 15 minutes of fame; and everyone jumps on the civil rights band wagon. When blacks kill each other……DEAD SILENCE!! Be the change you want to see, value and respect the lives of your brothers and sisters before you demand it from others.

    I’m in no way condoning the actions of cops who are gunning down innocent black men and women, they should be held accountable for their actions. But I’m just stating the fact that everyone needs to be held accountability needs be enforced all around, the racist cop who are being paid to serve and protect and the blacks who are killing each other. To protest against one and not the other gives no justice to the victims or their families. In my opinion white cops are killing black people in America for the same reason blacks are are killing black each other, they see no value in life.

    Until black people place values on their own lives, see their true value in society, no one else will. The difference in how officers treat white folks and they treat black folks, is how much value is placed on the life that individual’s life.

    Some have accused me of being bias because I’m married to a white man and living in Scotland. But it’s my experience that has me on the fence with this issue, and I do still have family living in America who feels the same way I do.

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    1. Shame on those who have devalued your opinion because of who you’re married to! Racial tensions will always exist because we have never taken the time to build relationships. Mistreatment doesn’t always involve race,but we often times make it a black & white issue. My heart hearts for our nation and the state of it.

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      1. We live in a country where life, liberty and pursuit of happiness is supposed to be guaranteed for everyone but it doesn’t seem to happen much. There is too much racism, sexism and homophobia which seem to get in the way of the promise our forefathers wrote into the Declaration of Independence. However I am an Anglophile so I am a big fan of England and The Royals.

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    2. black people who kill black people get arrested white cops who kill black people get a pay leave vacation. Black on Blackviolence does exist but you never hear that for other races. You don’t hear about Hispanic on Hispanic violence and you definitely don’t hear about white on white violence which is amazing because more white people kill each other more than any other race kills them. And black people do care about Black on Black violence for their are systems and groups and programs in inner city or gang populated areas to teach kids to not get into those programs but those systems aren’t showed on tv 🤔. But anyway BlackLivesMatter is important for it touches on an issues that needs to be discussed

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  4. God matters. Jesus matters. Something beyond our physical make up and limitations matters. To base a movement on anything else will become an ineffective, twisted heap at some point.

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  6. I respectfully disagree with you. Although all lived matter, the perspective on black lives needs to change and for that to happen, it needs to be focused on like the black lives matter movement is doing. How would you feel if you were continuously being victimized because of your race ? The black lives matter activists are just trying to get a break from feeling attacked and uncomfortable. African Americans are incarcerated at nearly six times the rate of whites and I don’t believe this is because they cause more crime but because law enforcers look out for African americans causing trouble more than they do whites.

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  7. I agree with you that all lives matter. We all have and deserve the same rights regardless of age, origin, religion, and of course the color of our skin. However, the Black Lives Matter movement is not “All Lives Matter” because while it is true that all lives matter, the only ones that are repeatedly in danger by the police are African Americans. The All Lives Matter countermovement diminishes the Black Lives Matter because by extension it states that the call to action that is the BLM movement is not necessary. It absolutely is necessary, as according to The Washington Post 26% of all fatal police shooting victims in the United States in 2015 were African. That may seem a minuscule number but it becomes staggering when taking into account African Americans make up only 13% (about 42 million people) of the United States’ population. Imagine the millions of Africans in our country hearing these tragedies on the news night after night, how unsafe it makes them feel. It is unfair for families to fear for the safety of their children, for them to feel in danger in their own communities. All lives matter but the focus right now belongs to black lives because of the supposed racial bias white police officers have against them.

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  8. Though I see your side, I respectfully disagree with you Tony. Though in a broad perspective, “All Lives Matter” and we “all should be equal” , the BLM movement is to draw attention to the fact that black lives are undervalued in the United States, and that is why there is so much Police Brutality. Black citizens feel inferior to whites, especially because of all the recent news stories. White privilege is a real thing that many of us don’t recognize, and this makes people of other races feel undervalued, and cause them to be harassed not only physically but mentally. This needs to change, and for “All lives matter” to be true, we have to recognize and change the BLM movement and make things right not only for the African Americans in the U.S., but all other races too. (http://www.vox.com/2016/7/11/12136140/black-all-lives-matter)

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  9. I totally respect your opinion and thoughts but I will have to politley disagree with you. Like you said All Lives SHOULD Matter. However, the Black Lives Matter movement was to spread awareness on how unequal that they have been treated and felt. If #alllivesmatter, African Americans wouldn’t be murdered or threatened for doing nothing. For example, Alton Sterling who was innocent but was shot and killed outside when unarmed. If #alllivesmatter, then african americans wouldn’t feel discriminated during their everyday lives. Hoping that the movement can’t create a difference in how people view them and support BLM.

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