Black Lives Matter? Hey, don’t ALL lives matter? Well, that would be great. But so far, they don’t. That’s why, right now, the focus is on Black Lives Matter. Read further if you want to dig into this 🙂
This article is the third episode of a series. If you haven’t done so already, please read part 1 here: A message for white people and part 2 here: Privilege makes blind
It is the beginning of June 2020 as I write this. Around the world, hundreds of thousands of people are protesting against racism, often using the statement “Black Lives Matter”. The killing of George Floyd by a group of police officers in Minneapolis, USA, was the trigger for these protests.
Many white people react to this by posting the phrase “All Lives Matter”, often accompanied by a text explaining that all humans are of equal value. Of course, all human beings are of equal value. That should not be controversial.
But in this context, “All Lives Matter” is rarely posted as a way to support the movement against racism. Often, it is used to discredit Black Lives Matter or broader movements against anti-Black racism. And even when people post it with positive or constructive intentions, the statement “All Lives Matter” does not support the struggle for equality. In this context, it does the opposite.
Before going further, I want to be clear about where I am speaking from.
I write this as a white person, primarily to other white people. I am not speaking for Black people, and I am not trying to explain Black people’s experiences on their behalf. I am asking what our responsibility is when many Black people and Black-led movements are asking us to listen, reflect, and act.
Anti-Black racism exists across many countries and institutions, though it takes different forms in different places. Black people are not the only people who experience racism or discrimination. Racism is a broader phenomenon, and many different groups are affected by it.
So why focus specifically on Black Lives Matter? And why am I speaking specifically to white people?
This has a lot to do with what I mentioned in my first article in this series: hold space and listen.
At this moment, many Black people and Black-led movements are calling attention to anti-Black racism. That does not mean other forms of racism or discrimination do not exist. It means that this particular injustice is being named clearly and urgently. The right response is not to redirect the conversation, but to listen.
So this is a moment to empathise with Black people. It is a moment to resist the urge to shift the focus elsewhere. It is a moment to ask ourselves: what will we lose by listening? What are we afraid of?
Listening is not the end point. It is the beginning of responsibility: learning, changing behaviour, challenging racism around us, and supporting Black-led work without taking over the conversation.
Why do I speak specifically to white people? Because I am white.
In many predominantly white societies, including the one I live in, anti-Black racism is present in institutions, culture, and everyday behaviour. So it is logical and appropriate that I ask what I, together with the other white people around me, can and should do to challenge and help eliminate racism.
That does not mean white people are the only people who can be racist. It also does not mean racism only exists in white-majority societies. But it does mean that, from my own position, I have a particular responsibility to look at whiteness, privilege, silence, defensiveness, and complicity.
OK, back to “All Lives Matter”.
If you really believe that all lives matter, then this is exactly the moment not to post “All Lives Matter” as a response to Black Lives Matter.
The following contribution on Reddit explains this very clearly:
GeekAesthete
Imagine that you’re sitting down to dinner with your family, and while everyone else gets a serving of the meal, you don’t get any (or a very small portion). So you say “I should get my fair share.” And as a direct response to this, your dad corrects you, saying, “everyone should get their fair share.” Now, that’s a wonderful sentiment — indeed, everyone should, and that was kind of your point in the first place: that you should be a part of everyone, and you should get your fair share also. However, dad’s smart-arse comment just dismissed you and didn’t solve the problem that you still haven’t got any!
The reality in many parts of the world, including our part of the world, is that Black people are still not getting their fair share.
Many people who post “All Lives Matter” do not seem to pair that statement with concrete action against anti-Black racism. When that happens, the phrase functions less as a call for equality and more as a way to dismiss the specific demand being made.
And why do people want to dismiss that demand? Let me make a “wild guess” 😉 It has to do with the discomfort many white people feel when we are asked to reflect on our privilege, our role in society, and our own internalised racism.
It is a lot easier to make a clever and reasonable-sounding statement like “All Lives Matter” than to seriously confront ourselves with our role in a society that supports racism, and, even more painfully, with our own internalised racism.
Some people who post “All Lives Matter” may genuinely believe they are saying something inclusive. They may mean: every human being has equal worth.
But intention is not the same as impact.
In the current context, responding to “Black Lives Matter” with “All Lives Matter” often has the effect of minimising the specific reality of anti-Black racism — even when that is not the speaker’s intention.
The phrase shifts the focus away from the people who are currently naming a specific injustice. It answers a demand for recognition with a general statement that avoids the issue being raised.
So yes, my conclusion is this: by stating, at this moment in time, that “All Lives Matter”, you may be reinforcing the very problem that Black Lives Matter is trying to address — the idea that Black lives can once again be pushed out of focus.
If you believe that all lives matter, then take Black Lives Matter seriously.
Listen. Read. Reflect. Notice defensiveness. Challenge racism when you encounter it. Look at your own assumptions. Support the people and organisations doing the work. Do not take over the conversation. Do not make it about your guilt. Make it about responsibility.
In the next episode, I write about our good intentions. Hope to see you there!
If you don’t think racism against Black people is a reality in your country, please take a moment to search for “examples of everyday racism against Black people” — or the appropriate translation in the language of your country.
Read with an open heart, without dismissing what you find.
If that turns out to be challenging for you, then I invite you to re-read the part about listening in my first post in this series.