In Theory: Does #AllLivesMatter diminish the message of #BlackLivesMatter

This month marks the one-year anniversary of the shooting death of Michael Brown, an unarmed African-American teenager killed by a white police officer in Ferguson, Mo.

Race relations and police officers’ actions have been one of the major focal points in the media from that point, and still continue to be today, with the recent deaths of Sandra Bland and Sam DuBose sparking further calls for action.

The social-media rally #BlackLivesMatter has garnered much attention this past year as a statement that African-American lives are undervalued by police, and, as an extension, by society.

This statement has been met with other hashtag statements such as #AllLivesMatter and #PoliceLivesMatter. Critics have said these response statements undermine the #BlackLivesMatter campaign. The counter-rallies have been called “tone deaf” and “unnecessary.”

Author and philosopher Judith Butler said in a New York Times interview:

“When some people rejoin with ‘All Lives Matter’ they misunderstand the problem, but not because their message is untrue. It is true that all lives matter, but it is equally true that not all lives are understood to matter, which is precisely why it is most important to name the lives that have not mattered…”

Q: Do the variations on the #BlackLivesMatter campaign enhance it or undermine it? Do the critics’ arguments have merit?

--

I believe that #All Lives Matter reinforces the point of “#Black Lives Matter. Of course all lives should matter. That is the reason we must reverse the horrible reality that black lives clearly and measurably matter much less than other lives in the U.S.

Blacks are poorer, hungrier, and less well-educated and well-housed than whites and other ethnicities. Given their population numbers, they are disproportionately stopped by the police more often and with less cause, and more likely to be brutalized or even killed during the encounter.

Another example of black disadvantage: L.A. County infant mortality, the percentage of babies who die before reaching a year old, is 2 to 3 times higher for blacks than for whites, and this is reflected nationally as well. (I am indebted to Glendale News-Press columnist Liana Aghajanian for bringing this statistic to my attention.) And higher socioeconomic status of black mothers does not improve mortality rates for their infants, which researchers conclude is because the very fact of being black exposes mothers to more psychosocial stress.

Why should we be surprised?

Black people did not come here voluntarily as imperial conquerors seeking more territory, or as immigrants hoping for a better life.

Blacks came here in chains — kicking, screaming and dying by the millions along the way. They were kept in captivity in the New World, including under United States laws, for about 245 years. Now 150 years after the end of slavery, any attempts to give black people the reparations they certainly deserve is deemed “reverse discrimination” and met with fierce opposition.

At this point African Americans are engaged in a serious struggle for their survival in a system that is structurally rigged against them. Saying “All Lives Matter” dilutes this reality and serves to misdirect the movement’s focus. No matter how well-meaning, “All Lives Matter” amounts to racism given the current situation.

Roberta Medford
Atheist
Montrose

--

There will always be issues of prejudice among mankind. Campaigns and legislation may lighten the concerns, but there is also a downside to both of these. Legislation only addresses the majority, not the individual, and campaigns many times rally around multifaceted issues from one point of view.

The hashtag #BlackLivesMatter may have been born out of a desire to help stop abuse and prejudice, but the only way to truly reduce prejudice is to resolve an issue of the human heart. If individuals grasp with their head and heart the depth of God’s unconditional love for them as an individual, apply this reality to their life, and integrate it into the way they treat others, many of the issues hoped to be addressed by campaigns of this type would resolve themselves.

Legislation and campaigns can not change the hearts of people, but God can if we authentically reach out to him for help.

Terry Neven
Pastor
Montrose Community Church

--

All lives matter, of course, but I like Judith Butler’s observation “that not all lives are understood to matter.” So because of her insight, I think I have to say that those carrying signs that “All Lives Matter” really do dilute the campaign that “Black Lives Matter.”

And let me say this: not one of us knows what it is like to be black in this country (unless, of course, you are an African American). The troubles in Ferguson and elsewhere show that we are still fighting racism in this country.

I happen to be a white American, and I feel I have the freedom to go anywhere I want without fear of being harassed or stopped by the police. Black people, especially black men, don’t have that freedom. They are almost always regarded with suspicion, especially if they aren’t wearing a coat and tie.

A black friend of mine, a fellow minister, always wears fashionable clothes, and he is always clean-shaven. I used to wonder if his wife made him dress that way, but I began to realize that he knew he would cause less suspicion if he looked nice.

Anyway, do the critics’ voices of Black Lives Matter have merit? Not really. Unwittingly they are taking away from the emphasis on black lives. Is it hard to be a police officer? Of course. Do some black folks carry a chip on their shoulder? Absolutely. But a heck of a lot more blacks die than police when there is a confrontation, and that’s why all those marchers carry signs and use hashtags online that say Black Lives Matter.

The Rev. Skip Lindeman
La Cañada Congregational Church
La Cañada Flintridge

--

The critic’s arguments have no validity. Changing the hashtag from #BlackLivesMatter to anything else is avoiding the issue.

Yes, all lives matter but to bring that up when someone is talking about black lives is basically saying black lives don’t really matter so much. All diseases matter too, but if you are fighting cancer, you need to talk about cancer! It is reminiscent of the push in the south to replace Martin Luther King Jr. Day with Lee/Jackson/King Day. It is a diversion because racist whites are afraid and want to shift the spotlight.

The fact that other hashtags have popped up in response to #BlackLivesMatter just proves the dire need for a focus specifically on issues of racial injustice against black people. White Americans are scared of truly confronting racism against black people in a meaningful way. Whether it’s the prison system, law enforcement, education, the workplace, or society in general, there is no question that racism still exists and that we must address it directly. So let’s stand up, say something and take action. Black lives do matter!

Joshua Lewis Berg
Humanist Celebrant
Glendale