Black Lives Matter

In class on Friday, we discussed the Black Lives Matter movement, looking at this movement in a historical context. Our discussion on identifying certain aspects that we have seen before when it came to the oppression of African Americans in history made me realize that racism, sexism, classism, etc., has always been present in America. Injustice is not something new for this country. Based on our readings for class, many acts of discrimination and segregation can be identified. I believe that only with time, Americans have tried to hide their racism, sexism, classism, etc., however it has always been a problem with our society. Black Lives Matter is not a new phenomenon but merely a movement that more people are recognizing and paying attention to.

In class we identified certain tactics and ideologies that show just how not new this movement is. As Professor McKinney said, the negative language of the movement has been seen before. With the Black Lives Matter movement, there is a strong backlash to the movement as a whole. In response to Black Lives Matter, there has been a push for this notion of All Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter. The message behind Black Lives Matter has been misconstrued, resulting in these responses. The problem with All Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter is the fact that by recognizing that black lives matter, nobody is saying other lives don't matter. However, saying all lives matter takes the attention off of the problem with injustice towards black men and women. If all lives truly mattered, there wouldn't have to be this push for Black Lives Matter.

With the continuous murders of black people, the constant oppression, and injustice, one may feel defeated, as if there is no reason to fight against this corrupt system. In the video we watched for class, “The Fire This Time: Ferguson and the Future ofRace in America.”, Dr. Brittney Cooper made an outstanding point that really stuck with me. She says, "This is there last hoorah. And we gotta believe that. ... 2060, it's gonna be a brown situation." I love this because it can be so hard to understand that things can and will get better considering the conditions we live in. Dr. Cooper wants us to remember that we can win, we can get through this, because we have once before. Something she quoted from the Mexican proverb is what I will always remember and will use from now on to remind myself that this is not the end. She quotes, "They tried to bury us. They didn't know we were seeds."