I watched this video this morning and feel like I can finally breathe, well, a tiny bit. In this video, Trevor makes the point that if you want to talk about these problems in our society, and you start talking about how Black Lives Matter, that must imply that you don't think Blue Lives Matter. He goes on to say - his whole point - is that both black and blue lives matter. Thank you, Trevor, finally a little bit of clarity for me when waking up to such horrific news. If you haven't watched, take the time and please do.
Can we agree that Black and Cop lives matter? The outrage on social media, today - obviously. I can't believe what happened in Dallas. I don't have the right words to express the depth of what I'm feeling. (Distraction from the Hillary verdict? I feel awful for even suggesting that, but seriously. The plot lines of Scanal are seeming all too real lately...)
Blue lives matter. Black lives matter.
But where was the outrage after Alton Sterling and Philando Castile? The reason #BLM even exists is because of the ridiculous institutionalized racism that prevails in our country that is exasperated by the media (who is conveniently owned by the White elite). The media reports to us, and we tell ourselves, "it's fair and balanced, of course they are reporting truth." Get your news online for a week - follow the trending hashtags on Twitter and read those articles or watch The Young Turks on You Tube. See if you feel any different. Watch the documentary The Brainwashing of My Dad on Amazon Prime. Have an open mind and understand that the media is painting a coordinated picture for us all.
Black lives matter. Blue lives matter.
But back to my point - it's so sad to me when people say, "Michelle, all lives matter!" You're missing the point. White lives have always mattered, and I can best illustrate this with a tweet from an amazing author of Young Adult lit:
My life has always mattered. My opinion has always mattered. No one ever expects me to do any harm, damage, and people will always listen to me. The same is not true for our black and brown brothers and sisters. They face an ongoing narrative in the media that they are the reason for all that is wrong with our country. But then we see two videos - just this week - that show two black men doing nothing wrong, and they are shot and killed, and no outrage. Why? Why is it okay for them to be killed, but then when it's someone who is white, it's a different story?
Blue lives matter. Black lives matter.
I am the proud daughter of a police officer - 38 years of dedicated service. My uncles and my dad's friends are all good people. They put their lives on the line to protect and serve their communities. I hesitate when sharing about things like this because I have such a high level of respect for the people they are and the work they do.
Black lives matter. Blue lives matter.
But I teach kids of color. I hear their stories. I read their writing. I live through their experiences as black and brown youth here in a white America. But still, I teach them about hope and working hard, and when you do, you can have anything you want, because we live in the United States of America.
Except we're not so united lately.
I don't think there is going to be much in the way of change until we have an honest discussion about the problems facing our communities, a conversation about the state of policing in our country. Something needs to give.
Blue lives matter.
Black lives matter.
I'm with you both.
So well written. White lives have always mattered. As a person who grew up in a white town, in a Leave It to Beaver home, I have no real experience with not being heard or seen. As a person living in poverty I have seen a glimpse of the unfairness, but it's only a glimpse. What if I were in poverty and my skin was a different color?
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