You Matter

#BlackLivesMatter

#LatinoLivesMatter

#AsianLivesMatter

#WhiteLivesMatter

#AllLivesMatter

But this is about Black lives.

This is about white privilege. 

I'll be honest, I'm an oblivious white girl. I don't like politics or confrontation, so I tend to keep my opinions to myself when it comes to social media, and I don't stay all that up to date with the news (other than big things that show up on my twitter feed, which I often will read/skim an article or two about). I also struggle sometimes to articulate what I mean in a way that won't be distorted by the absence of human interaction. With that said, I also grew up in a town where I was actually the minority at my school, and the classes I was enrolled in were relatively diverse, so I was oblivious to the bigger issue here. On that note, I will say racism can and does go both ways, but this post isn't about that, it's about the fact that Black Lives Matter because all lives do.

I wasn't there and I don't know what happened, so I won't say this for them. I'm saying this for all my friends who are of a different color than me. For all of those I love. For all the people I don't know and probably never will because we were born into different parts of this world. You matter. Just as much as me.

Let me be clear about something though, when I say worth and equality, I don't mean all people are the same, or equally important, or even capable of the same things. For example; The President of the United States of America, is way more important than me, and (no matter how much I may disagree with his politics) I understand why. He has equipped himself with knowledge that I know not of, and he has authority that I cannot fathom. He also has people who threaten to kill him, and I don't, so it balances out. My point is that while in the eyes of humanity we should all be equals, that just means that we should not be looked down upon as less. We are all so very different; we have different capabilities and the potential to do such a wide range of things. Some are born with great intelligence, some with great comedic talent; others have trouble with social situations, or have trouble learning; this world is unfair. And it always will be, but it doesn't make them less. We all have a path to follow, each one different from the next. 

One thing I'm worried will happen with this movement for equality (a movement I believe in and support) is that it will do what Feminism did and go too far. Feminism at it's core is good. It is about equality between men and women. Not equality as in sameness, but equality in worth. We should be worth the same as men in the eyes of humanity. That does not mean that we must conquer man though. Some branches of Feminism have taken the raising up of women and turned it into the crushing of men, and that is not okay. This is the exact opposite of what we teach our children. We teach them to be confident in themselves, to not beat others down to feel better about themselves. We then should do the same. Be confident women who stand up for our rights, but don't have to degrade men to do it. 

Along the same lines when it comes to race, I want equality, but that doesn't mean bashing other races. Instead we should call upon everyone to elevate each other to be equal in the eyes of all. I'm not excusing the past, but let's leave the past there because there is nothing we can do to change it, and deal with the present. Black lives matter, not because they're black. Not because white people owe them for what our ancestors did to theirs. Not because someone died. Black lives matter because they are people, just like you and me. Black lives matter just as much as Latino lives, Asian lives, White lives, all lives. 

34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”