WHY SAYING "ALL LIVES MATTER" IS NOT OKAY
The Black Lives Matter movement is in no way saying that only Black lives matter. What it actually means is that Black lives matter too because the behaviours and systems in our society say otherwise. People who support BLM also agree that all lives do in fact matter, but all lives cannot matter until Black ones do. All Lives matter is a counterattack towards the Black Lives Matter movement which undermines the message. It decreases and diminishes the focus on the violence and discrimination Black individuals suffer each day. They are disproportionately affected by police brutality and systemic racism. Our entire civilization pivots around whiteness as a superiority. Asserting that "All Lives Matter" just ignorantly overlooks the truth. Of course, all life is valuable, but not everyone is in circumstances where their life is in danger due to their skin colour. Saying "Black Lives Matter" is not equivalent to saying other lives don't, but rather that Black lives should matter just as much as white lives.
IMPORTANT TERMS TO UNDERSTAND
RACISM
Prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against a person or people on the basis of their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized.
UNCONSCIOUS OR IMPLICIT BIAS
Social stereotypes about certain groups of people that individuals form outside their own conscious awareness. Everyone holds unconscious beliefs about various social and identity groups, and these biases stem from one’s tendency to organize social worlds by categorizing. Similar to built-in prejudice.
PRIVILEGE
A special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group.
SYSTEMIC RACISM
Also known as institutional racism, refers to the ways that white supremacy is reflected and upheld in the systems in our society. It looks at larger, structural and institutional operations rather than individual biases and behaviours.
BIPOC
An acronym that stands for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.
LGBTQ+
An acronym that stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning and any other sexual orientation and gender besides solely Heterosexual or Cisgender
COLORISM
Prejudice or discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone, typically among people of the same ethnic or racial group. Colourism refers to skin tone while Racism refers to ethnicity and race.
HETEROSEXUAL AND CISGENDER
Heterosexuality is the quality or characteristic of being sexually attracted solely to people of the opposite sex while Cisgender means a person whose sense of personal identity and gender corresponds with their birth sex.
ALLYSHIP
Allyship is the practice of emphasizing social justice, inclusion, and human rights by members of an ingroup, to advance the interests of an oppressed or marginalized outgroup. Allyship is part of the anti-oppression or anti-racist conversation, which puts into use social justice theories and ideals.
MICROAGGRESSION
A statement, action, or incident regarded as an instance of indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized group such as a racial or ethnic minority.
PREFORMATIVE ACTIVISM
Performative activism is a pejorative term referring to activism done to increase one's social capital rather than because of one's devotion to a cause. It is often associated with surface-level activism or doing things "just for show".
CULTURAL APPROPRIATION
Cultural appropriation refers to the use of objects or elements of a non-dominant culture in a way that doesn't respect their original meaning, doesn't give credit to their source, reinforces stereotypes or contributes to oppression.
BLM
An acronym for Black Lives Matter. BLM is a movement standing up for the racial injustice, discrimination and systemic racism towards Black people and people of African descent.
WHITE SUPREMACY
The belief that white people constitute a superior race and should therefore dominate society, typically to the exclusion or detriment of other racial and ethnic groups
ETHNICITY AND RACE
Race and ethnicity are used to categorize certain sections of the population. In basic terms, race describes physical traits, and ethnicity refers to cultural identification. Race may also be identified as something you inherit while ethnicity is something you learn such as culture.
CULTURAL APPRECIATION
Cultural appreciation is when you earnestly seek to learn about or explore a different culture. You learn. You listen. You strive to understand. You seek to honour its beliefs, traditions and people.