Black Lives Matter Movement and Popular Culture

"The practice of domination is always legitimized by the existence of an enemy"~Ched Myers

"Is it possible that we all love compassion and justice... until there's a personal cost to living compassionately, loving mercy, and seeking justice?"~Eugene Cho

"I sit on a man's back, choking him and making him carry me, and yet assure myself and others that I am very sorry for him and wish to ease his lot by all possible means--except by getting off his back"~Leo Tolstoy

This past week has been filled with news articles that are highly critical and derogatory against the "Black Lives Matter" movement.  Presidential candidate Donald Trump referred to the BLM group as "looking for trouble" and Fox news did a report identifying the movement as a dangerous "hate" group.  There is a conscious agenda in some cultures to degradate the movement without a significant understanding of the opportunity available for significant discourse but also real change.  I find that real discussion is impossible because before we can actually grapple with facts, trends and events that demonstrate inequity and injustice, the culture of fear has already distorted and largely denigrated the movement in order to justify ignoring, slandering, and then ultimately, destroying of a movement of change.

A couple of things to contemplate that I hope allows greater discussion on the advocacy that birthed the movement in the first place:

1. Black lives matter is first a proclamation of a truth in the face of conflicting evidence.  Black lives matter despite Blacks in the US are jailed, killed, and neglected more than any other group of people.  Through events like Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, the entire Ferguson Mo law enforcement history, and Fred Gray, it was clear that their lives did not matter.  It is a statement of protest!

2. Black lives matter is not the antithesis of all lives matter.  No one advocating for fair policing, reduction in health care disparities among African Americans, and legal system reform wants to deny that for all other Americans.  Because all lives matter, the reality that, non-White people face negatively prejudicial treatment is unacceptable.  One can proclaim "Black lives Matter" and proclaim "All Lives Matter" harmoniously and without tension.

3. Black lives matter is not an offical organization with distinct tenets and activities.  It is a loose affiliated group of activitists who self-identify with the movement.  There is no offical spokesman or official doctrine.  What one person says in Minnesota during a Black lives matter walk can not be construed to be as the "offical" understanding of what the movement stands for.

4. Black lives matter represents the outrage and frustration of many communities where there is continued injustice.  The approach has been overwhelmingly anti-violent with the choice to advocate by public disruption.  This is the use of civil disobedience to bring about change.

5. Black lives matter does not mean anti-police, anti-White, anti-government, anti-law enforcement, or anti-republican.  It simply means that Black lives must be cherished and aforded the dignity by all communities that is promised in the Constitution.

6. Black lives matter is a movement that can be co-opted like any other movement and must remain clear on its ideology.  I read several articles where the agenda of Black lives matter was intertwined with LGBTQ advocacy, labor movements, and Gender advocacy.  While they are all related in many ways, they are separate movments and advocates often use the publicity generated by the Black Lives matter to bring attention to other issues.  The greater the focus on the primary issue, the greater the effectiveness in the end.

So, instead of looking for a way to discredit and ignore the movement, why not take moment to dare to make a difference.  Instead of promoting fear and racial stereotypes, how about understanding that if we are to have a great nation where all lives matter, we must first wrestle with the struggle of whether we live in communities where Black lives really do matter.

Lets make a difference,

Dr. M Traylor