A lot of people shout down the phrase “Black Lives Matter,” and on a moral level, we don’t see how that’s possible. There must be a misunderstanding, right? Black lives do not matter more. They are not more valuable than than Blue Lives, or All Lives. Black lives simply matter, too.
Think that goes without saying? It doesn’t. Black lives have been abused, commodified, and undervalued since this nation’s day one. Even today, FBI data shows that black people make up 13 percent of the U.S. population but 31 percent of police killings. The racial bias is a real, bleeding wound, and we all have to flush it deeply and immediately, with compassion and care.
A call for all lives to matter should be the opening for a discussion, not the closer. So here’s your next chance: this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, the Amherst College chapter of Black Lives Matter combines with chapters in Boston and South Carolina for three one-hour walks in Amherst, Hadley, and Northampton to call attention to police brutality and other aspects of anti-black racism and violence. On Sunday, the movement will hold a sit-in protest in front of Northampton City Hall, at which members of the community are invited to share words, arts, music, and dance.
Follow Black Lives Matter: Amherst College on social media for event specifics.
— Hunter Styles, hstyles@valleyadvocate.com
