Black Lives Matter

The hashtag "Black Lives Matter" began as a love letter to black people from Alicia Garza, which I did not know about until I watched this video How A Hashtag Defined a Movement. It said, "Black people, I love you. I love us. We matter. Our lives matter. Black lives matter." This does not mean only Black Lives Matter, but that Black Lives Matter too. To say all lives matter seems a little silly. Of course all lives matter, but that's not the point. The point is that racism is still in this country. It did not go away when the civil rights movement ended. That was not the solution. Many people want to believe it was, but it wasn't. In the readings this week there was mention of people romanticizing the civil rights movement. We remember what we want to remember and the rest we try to block out. There is a large amount of backlash of the Black Lives Matter movement because of this romanticism of the civil rights movement. There was backlash during the civil rights movement as well, but not many like to remember that. They like to forget. This backlash against the Black Lives Matter movement is a defense mechanism. Black Lives Matter is bringing issues of race out in the open again, and not many people like to talk about it. Many like to pretend it isn't there. But it is. And to pretend it is not there is to pretend that a culture is not there. What I liked so much about the video linked above, is that they talk about how Blacks are fighting for who they are. It is not the civil rights movement where they are fighting for "white" respectability, but instead looking to be respected for who they are as they are. Just because someone dresses a certain way does not mean they are a certain way. It is not "your grandmama's civil rights movement" as the readings for this week kept saying, but something different, something new, and something that should be given more respect.

Comments

  1. UnknownFebruary 4, 2018 at 7:58 AM

    Alyssa thanks for your thoughtful reflection. I agree with everything you stated. One of the greatest accomplishments of the BLM movement is that it's bringing awareness to the racial divides that still exist in our country. It's also helping us take part in those difficult conversations, which I believe will help facilitate change.

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  2. Victoria RestlerFebruary 5, 2018 at 6:49 AM

    Thanks for your post Alyssa. I'm interested in your sense that many people want to pretend that the Civil Rights Movement ended racism or that racialized oppression no longer exists. It does feel like we're in a moment of coming to grips. But I also wonder who is coming to grips? Who has always already been knowing? And who still has their head in the sand?
    My best
    Victoria

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