If you haven't heard about the death of George Floyd and the massive Civil Rights movement it has sparked not only across the country, but across the world, you have your head in the sand. But in case you missed it, George Floyd was a forty-six year old African American man who was murdered in the daylit streets of Minneapolis by a police officer, while three other police officers stood there and watched the whole thing happen. I'm not going to say the officers' names. They deserve no recognition whatsoever. In my thoughts, I refer to them as the monsters who killed George Floyd.
George Floyd was stopped in the street because there was suspicion that he had used a counterfeit twenty dollar bill to purchase cigarettes at a convenient store. Read that again. George Floyd was stopped in the street because there was suspicion that he had used a counterfeit twenty dollar bill to purchase cigarettes at a convenient store. A counterfeit twenty dollar bill. Those officers stole George Floyd's life over twenty lousy U.S. dollars. A man knelt on George Floyd's neck for eight minutes and forty-six seconds, killing him, over twenty dollars. I encourage you to set a timer and see how long eight minutes and forty-six seconds truly is. Imagine not being able to breathe the whole time.
Whether the bill was real or not, those officers sent the message that they value twenty dollars over a man's life. Are those the people you want enforcing your laws?
Now, I could go on for pages about systemic racism, racial profiling, police brutality, the inherent corruptness of law enforcement, and the fetishization of violence and violent weapons in America; but today I am here to discuss white privilege and the harmfulness in using phrases like "All Lives Matter" and "Blue Lives Matter."
First, I would like to start with this thought: If someone says "Black Lives Matter" and you say "But..." you are the problem. No one said "Only black lives matter" or "Black lives matter more than other lives." We are saying "Black Lives Matter" and in saying "But," you are saying "No. They don't." Why is that? Why do you disagree with "Black Lives Matter," as a statement? Start by asking yourself that. I'll be shocked if you have an answer that isn't rooted in immense bigotry.
The idea above is why putting anything other than "Black" in front of "Lives Matter" is inherently racist and harmful. The Black Lives Matter movement was founded in 2013 in response to the murder of Trayvon Martin. The Blue Lives Matter movement was founded in 2014, and is not even actually a movement. It is a countermovement. Blue Lives Matter is a direct counter-response to Black Lives Matter, which is why it is harmful and why people who support Black Lives Matter have such a problem with it.
For one, equating black lives and blue lives is foolish. Being black and being a police officer are in no way, shape, or form in the same realm of identities. Black life is one you are born into, one you wear on your skin, one you cannot choose or change or take off at the end of the day (even if you wanted to). Blue life is a career. A job. Something you choose to go into. A uniform you can take off at the end of your shift. Something you can walk away from if you are inclined to do so. Blue life is a choice, black life is not.
Now, the issue with All Lives Matter. You say "All Lives Matter," and yes. Of course they do. Each and every life is precious and should be valued. But, no one is threatening your life. I'm sure you've heard this metaphor, but here it is again: If your house is on fire and your neighbor's house is completely fine, your neighbor doesn't have the fire department come hose down their house and say "All Houses Matter." Because, yes, all houses do matter and I would never want to see my neighbor's house burn down. But their house is not in danger. Their house does not need help. This is the same principle. No one ever said that your life doesn't matter. But remember those officers from earlier? They said that a pack of cigarettes mattered more than George Floyd's life. Has that ever happened to you, or someone who looks like you? No? Then sit down.
Lastly, I would like to discuss white privilege. Privilege is defined as "a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group." In other words, privilege is something that makes your life easier than others because of a group you are in. There is white privilege, straight privilege, male privilege, cisgender privilege, the list goes on. Maybe you experience one of these, maybe you experience a couple, or maybe you experience none at all. This next bit is for all of you who experience white privilege.
White privilege does not mean that your life isn't hard. It means that the color of your skin isn't making it harder. Read that again, because I don't think it's sinking in for some of you. You may still have it really hard, but that is not because of the color of your skin. You are automatically at an advantage because you are white. You benefit from racism, whether you are against it or not. You have an advantage over people of color, simply for being born. Now the question is, are you going to use this privilege for good? Are you going to stand up to racism, start hard conversations with your ignorant family and friends, and use your voice to try to level the playing field? Or are you going to use your privilege to continue the cycle of racism, oppression, and fear that still exists in our country today? If you don't know the answer to that question ask yourself this one: What have you done for the Black Lives Matter movement? Have you donated money, signed petitions, protested, or used your voice to attract attention to the horrors happening to black people in America? If you've done nothing, you're on the wrong side of history. If no one else has told you this, you need to do better.
These conversations are uncomfortable. But that is all the more reason we need to have them. I encourage you to share these thoughts with your family and friends who don't seem to understand the ways they are contributing to racism in this country. Remember, silence is choosing the side of the oppressor.
Keep fighting the good fight.