Please Don't Kill My Vibe

Our entire community is in mourning right now. I know I am. This is a difficult time  for people of color. Following that further, this is a difficult life for people of color. Yet, we will press on, knowing that our fight will one day be over.

The shooting in Charleston, SC sparked something inside so many people. Whether you are black, white, brown, or yellow you saw a piece of our humanity die last week. When Dylann Roof opened fire inside Emanuel A.M.E. Church he took much more than 9 lives. He took away the belief that we could be more than what we are. He robbed people of the safety that comes from worshiping God in a sacred place. On the contrary, Dylann gave us a present. He provided concrete proof that people still hate African-Americans simply because we exist. He provided additional ammunition to the charge that Black Lives Matter, period.

When we say Black Lives Matter we are affirming our very existence. All throughout society messages are placed both overtly and covertly that tell us otherwise. When people say All Lives Matter in response to a Black Lives Matter chant it is a micro aggression against African-Americans. Every time a white person, and even our own people, shout All Lives Matter they further inflict pain. We recognize that all lives matter. We want people, specifically, people in power to understand that Black Lives Matter, period. We had to convince lawmakers that separate but equal was anything but. We had to take action in order to prevent the arrests, beatings, and murders that could occur by simply existing in spaces that cities and states had been empowered to deem for whites only. Things have not changed radically. We are still fighting for our lives. Society has not shown us that our lives matter, rather, it has proven that to many we don't.

?#?AllLivesMatter? is a capture of colorblindness that goes against the purpose of ?#?BlackLivesMatter?. As Black Americans in the racial justice struggle and promoters of the roots embedded in #BlackLivesMatter, we already know and agree that all lives matter. But we also know that injustices stemming from police brutality and the conglomerate criminal justice system, does not marginalize against all lives … but Black lives, almost exclusively.

Every 28 hours, a Black person is killed by police or vigilantes. Black people are trapped in prisons at alarming rates. Black people are less likely to graduate from college, but are more likely to graduate with over $25,000 in student loan debt. Black people are more likely to suffer from HIV, diabetes, and other serious health issues. The socioeconomic ills are widespread and numerous in the Black community.

And despite the hardships that we face, we recognize that our ills are not happenstance or coincidence. They’re the product of elaborate designs instituted by white supremacy and patriarchy. Our hardships stem from institutional racism—the policies and practices that purposely disadvantage Black communities.

When we say #BlackLivesMatter, we are speaking about the unique hardships that the Black community faces. We are speaking directly about a heritage that remains intact despite racist violence directed at us. To say #AllLivesMatter is an affront to Black heritage, people, and culture and does nothing but take away from the potent truth that the Black existence deserves ample recognition.