Stop Changing #BlackLivesMatter for White People
At this point, in 2020, the Black Lives Matter movement has been around for over 5 years. At some point, you must realize that those trying to change it up to #alllivesmatter or #bluelivesmatter are doing so knowing full well the Black erasure they are engaged in. I’m not going to explain why those are offensive to another person, it’s been done. I’m also not going to explain it here either. What I do want to highlight though is the way in which white people, in their attempts to explain #BlackLivesMatter center their whiteness.
Centering Whiteness
When we center whiteness we are playing into cultural mores that normalize whiteness. What’s meant by this? Part of the way white supremacy functions in our society is to assume whiteness unless stated otherwise. We tell a story and only point out the race of the people of color, as though people of color are simply a racialized version of ourselves. When we look at a news story we want to “wait for all the facts,” which means we want to hear a version of the story from a white person in power whom we assume has an objective, non-racialized viewpoint. If the explanation comes from a person of color in power, we will only accept this viewpoint as objective if it upholds what we assumed to be true.
We have taken the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag and done the same thing. We have decided white people being able to make sense of it or fully understand it immediately is clearly of utmost importance — central, in fact. This comes out when I see white people say things such as, “I really wish they had said #blacklivesmattertoo or #blacklivesmatteralso”.
Why do we feel the need to do this? Why do we assume that all things are for our use, benefit, and understanding? It is because we have so normalized the centrality of whiteness it is presumed if something doesn’t make sense to white people, it must be altered?
It Was Never About White People
First and foremost, the hashtag was never written for white people. As outsiders to the conversation, we can look back at the origin of the hashtag to see why this is so.
In the wake of the devastating murder of Trayvon Martin, a new era of the national conversation about racial injustice in the US was sparked, and it was ugly. The ways a young teen could be spoken of was devastating. That anyone could think a vigilante with a gun chasing down a child when they were told not to is the one that needed to “stand their ground” or defend themselves shows a callousness to Black humanity.
It was in that climate George Zimmerman was acquitted. The depth of the pain, sadness, and rage can not be over emphasized. Expressing her pain and sadness, Alicia Garza would take to Facebook and write, “I continue to be surprised at how little black lives matter…black people, I love you. I love us. Our lives matter.”
This was not a proclamation to white people, a call to action, or an organization to be criticized. It was an in-group call to fellow Black people to cling to the reality they do indeed matter, despite what the justice system and the world outside says.
Her friend, Patrisse Cullors, would respond, #blacklivesmatter.
How to De-center Whiteness In Response
In that moment of solidarity, whiteness was not centered. It was not about white people or convincing anyone to join a cause or pick a side. It was a declaration of truth. It is precisely because whiteness was not centered we would see white people respond the way they responded, and in the ways they continue to respond.
Whether they want to change the hashtag all together to make sure they feel they and their interests are included, or alter it in order to make sure the focus is on white people understanding it, whiteness becomes centered.
Your job as a white person is not to alter, defend, change, or otherwise do anything other than stand in solidarity with the truth of the statement as written. It’s not about you. It’s not about your aunt on Facebook. It’s not about the twitter troll. If someone wants to argue or deflect from the reality of the statement, that is about them. Remind them of where it came from and that it was not created to make them comfortable or convince them of anything. If they refuse to unapologetically declare the value of Black life, you know exactly where they stand.
