10 FAQs about ‘BLACK LIVES MATTER’
#BlackLivesMatter
You must’ve seen this hashtag everywhere. It took over the internet by a storm. There were protests in so many countries all over the world about it. But what is the deal with all this? Read along to find out. And if you already know, use this as a guide to deal with racist questions and comments. Win-win either way!
What is ‘BLM’ or ‘Black Lives Matter’?
It is a movement that advocates against white supremacy and violence towards Black communities by the police and other vigilantes. The movement started in 2013, when Trayvon Martin, a teen of African-American ethnicity, was shot dead by an American named George Zimmerman. Alicia Garza, an activist, shared her views on Facebook with a post that ended with ‘Our lives matter’. Thus, the hashtag came to life and there was no looking back ever since.
How did #BlackLivesMatter resurface?
In the USA, on 25th May 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American man was killed by a Minnesota Police Officer Derek Chauvin by kneeling on his neck for 8 minutes because Floyd was allegedly accused of using counterfeit money to buy cigarettes. The video of Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck went viral on social media along with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter’.
Weren’t George Floyd and others rightly killed because they committed a crime?
Would the police kill someone because they were accused of using counterfeit bills? Wouldn’t the police take the accused into custody first and conduct an inquiry at least? Well, the police would, if the accused was white. This is what we know as ‘White Privilege’ which the blacks clearly don’t possess.
‘He was looking suspicious!’ or ‘He was using counterfeit money’ or ‘She seemed like a threat’, are some of the many excuses given when a black person is wrongfully killed.
This needs to be changed. Black lives are not unimportant and disposable. They are humans too. They deserve better than this.
Is #BlackLivesMatter limited to police brutality?
Yes and no. The #BlackLivesMatter movement is solely for the purpose of police brutality against black people but the atrocities that were faced and are being faced by a black person go further than that.
What other problems do Black people face?
Oh, the list is endless. I’ll list down the top 3 problems faced by blacks here.
Slavery. For 90 years. Until it was declared illegal in 1865. Moreover, a part of the taxes was given to the slave owners as compensation until 2015. Can you believe that?
Racial Pay Gap. A nightmare to most people of color. The pay gap shrunk between 1950 to 1980 but went back up again since 1980. In the USA, for every $1 earned by a white person, a black person earns anywhere from $0.57 to $0.67.
Education. Black children are more likely to be suspended or rusticated for their (mis)behavior. The disinterest in studies due to constant discrimination is labeled as ‘learning disability’. US Schools that have a greater number of black children have fewer resources than schools that have a greater number of white children.
But don’t ‘All Lives Matter’?
That is what #BlackLivesMatter means! There is an implicit ‘too’ at the end of it. Saying ‘All Lives Matter’ is ignorant, racially dismissive, and defeats the purpose of #BlackLivesMatter.
Let us consider a scenario.
You took a test along with all your classmates. You failed despite giving correct answers to all the questions. You go up to your professor and say, “This is unfair. I should get my fair share of marks”, to which the professor responds, “Well, everyone should get their fair share of marks”. Did that make sense? No, right? ‘All Lives Matter’ doesn’t make sense either.
All you wanted to say that you should get a fair share of your marks just like everyone else. But the professor dismissed it because he thought you meant that only you want marks and the rest should fail, which is clearly not the case. This is the problem with ‘All Lives Matter’. Understand. Educate yourself. Stop advocating for ‘All Lives Matter’.
I find black people scary! / Why are black people so black?
Listen up!
The closer you are to the equator, the more prone you are to skin diseases and other health defects. That is because the sun shines brighter near the equator. Thanks to Natural Selection, the people living near and surrounding the equator have more amount of melanin in their skin to protect them from the sun, making them dark in color. Alternately, the people who are closer to the poles of the earth are lighter in color so that their skin can absorb more vitamins in lesser-than-normal sunlight.
IS THIS WHY WE HATE BLACK PEOPLE? IS THIS WHY YOU ARE SCARED OF THEM? BECAUSE THEY ARE ADAPTED TO SAVE THEMSELVES FROM THE SUN?
How can I help?
Inform people. Donate. Sign up petitions. Don’t use the ’N’ word. Support small and large businesses owned by Black people. Don’t oppress them. Don’t be rude to them unnecessarily. If they are being troubled or bullied in any way, stand up for them. Protect them. Don’t turn a blind eye to their issues. Most importantly, don’t let this trend die down.
But my country doesn’t have Black people!
Doesn’t matter! Inform. Educate. Don’t let the world be oblivious to the atrocities inflicted on humans because they are dark-colored. The more people know the better. Social media is a powerful tool and you must use it to bring about a change. It lets the world know that you stand in solidarity with the oppressed. It also puts a certain pressure on the government to act on it. It is because of all the petitions and protests that Derek Chauvin and the three other accused police officers were charged with the murder of George Floyd.
What about the people in my country who are being oppressed?
Raise your voice. Use social media to spread awareness. Stand up for the oppressed. Talk to your family and friends. Educate them. Many Baby boomers and Gen X out there have a certain aversion to people who are dark-skinned, or have a different sexual preference or gender than the majority of the population or follow a certain religion. The same Baby boomers and Gen X raise their kids to become racists and sexists and other toxic ‘-ists’. Change their mindset. Charity begins at home.
This post comes to an end, but the trend doesn’t have to. Bring about a change, one person at a time. Good luck!
