The Problem with saying ‘All Lives Matter’

With the fervency and passion of the Black Lives Matter protests showing no sign of letting up anytime soon, it seems many white baby boomers have come out the works with their own message: ‘Don’t all lives matter?’. Surely this is a message that unites all of us? I mean, if all lives matter doesn’t that include fighting the injustices faced by black communities the world over? Oh if only it were that simple.

The issue here isn’t one that’s particularly difficult to grasp: the fact of the matter is that in saying that ‘All Lives Matter’ you are not merely understating and excusing the struggle and tyranny that so many within the black community have endured for countless generations, you are also equating that struggle to that of white people; the most privileged and exploitative race the world has ever seen. The Black Lives Matter isn’t about saying that only Black Lives Matter, it is about black people fighting for the same liberty that so many of us take for granted day to day.

It’s a fight for the liberty to walk down the road and not worry about being stopped and killed by police. It’s a fight for the right to be seen as an equal in a society that still shows so much contempt to people who don’t have white skin. It’s a fight to be valued as a contributing member of society the same as anyone else and having that reflected in pay and not being senselessly murdered. It’s a fight to be recognised as an human, not a colour.

The instance of George Floyd was a tiny tip of what is a very large iceberg. There are countless other examples, each one in themselves deserving of the outrage generated and the change that is being driven.

Philando Castile. Jonathon Ferrell. Sandro Bland. Eric Garner. Breonna Taylor. Tamir Rice. Freddie Gray. Natasha Mckenna. Oscar Grant. Trayvon Martin. The list is endless. We say their names, we recognise their humanity, we change the system. So no, saying ‘All Lives Matter’ isn’t helpful, it hurts and merely attempts to delegitimize the cause; it’s an attempt to allow the norm to reign free once more. The norm was a racist, murderous policy of inequality fuelled by the persistent excusing the actions of systematic racism and in turn permitting its continuation.

The system must change, protests must happen and if rioting takes place just ask yourself ‘How pissed off would I be if was a member of a community that continues to be systematically oppressed?’. Remember that next time you’re protesting the fact that you can’t get a haircut. That is not what struggle is. Black Lives Matter.