Black Lives Matter Vs. All Lives Matter

Responding to the phrase "Black Lives Matter" with "All Lives Matter" is to ignore the reality that throughout history black lives have not seemed to matter as much other lives except for their value as free labor or property. It is diffusing and confusing the power of the message and removing it from its historic and cultural context. Saying "All Lives Matter" is like marching against violence against women, while chanting "Women's Human rights, take back the night!" Would Helen Reddy's famous feminist anthem "I Am Woman Hear Me Roar" have had the same power if it began, "I am human, hear me roar?"

Black lives do not seem to matter very much in mainstream media. When have you ever seen a one hour 20/20 special about a missing or murdered black woman on prime time? You say "never"? So do I! I've seen several one hour specials about missing blonde white women, repeat episodes of Natalie Holloway, Elizabeth Smart, Dorothy Stratten, and Reeva Steenkamp. I don't see any redheads or brunettes on that list either. My heart aches for them, and I deeply sympathize with their suffering and that of their families. At the same time I wonder why I never see the stories of women of color treated with such sensitivity and care. Now because of increased awareness we are starting to learn the names of murdered black women. Though the story of Sandra Bland's demise in the custody of police has spread like wildfire on social media, we have yet to see a 1 hour prime time special to tell her story and make everyone aware of her uniqueness as a human being, how her death deeply impacted society, and the positive impact she might have had on the world had she survived.

I have seldom seen the phrase, "the girl next door," or "all American" used to describe a woman of color. In the media when something terrible happens to the "girl next door," it conjures up an image of a young, attractive white woman who is a blank slate of purity and promise. When a black person perishes, the story seems to center around what they might have done to cause it. It is seldom told from the slant of "when bad things happen to good people." "All Lives Matter" begs us to ignore the existence of blatant inequality, thus rendering the phrase virtually meaningless. If all lives really did matter, would it really be necessary to say so? Also, are we talking about human lives, animal lives, plant lives...? Is this a vegetarian mantra? Cecil the Lion's life seemed to matter more than black lives. So the phrase "Black Lives Matter" is a direct and positive affirmation repeated in face of incontrovertible evidence that in our society black human lives do not seem to matter as much.