Black Lives Matter was formed in 2013 by Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi. The movement was created in response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman for the murder of Trayvon Martin in 2013. BLM grew in prominence after the movement took part in various demonstrations following the murders of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, both killed by cops in 2014. Since that time, BLM has been actively involved in several other protests over police brutality, most famously the murder of George Floyd in 2020. Originally an American movement with chapters all over the country, BLM is now a worldwide phenomenon as evidenced by the Black Lives Matter Global Network.
One of the most important ideas expressed by BLM and its many supporters is this: All lives can’t matter until black lives matter. This seems to be the core message of the movement, forming the very ideological foundation. The message is clearly presented as being non-negotiable, akin to a line drawn in the sand. Don’t even think about crossing it either. Indeed, anyone who dares to discuss or debate this idea will be canceled, dismissed, and belittled. Such a person represents the very problem that BLM is fighting against.
I well understand why discussion and debate aren’t allowed. Because the rationale behind the issue is ridiculously flawed. The first problem is the most obvious. All lives DO matter. This is a self-evident fact, and the truth of this fact is inherent in the text itself. All. Lives. Matter. Before the creation of BLM in 2013, if you had asked anyone… of any ethnicity… if all lives matter, the answer would have been “yes” the vast majority of the time. But BLM dismissed that truth and offered a politicized alternative… with no dissent or debate allowed.
Another problem with BLM is that a crucial opportunity was missed. What’s needed in America is a unified community standing against police brutality, a community that takes the lives of all victims into account. Any movement designed to raise awareness about police brutality should include all races. Because all victims of police brutality matter. Instead, BLM chose to emphasize black victims over all others. Because all lives/victims can’t matter until black lives/victims matter. Can you imagine if Americans of all races had joined as one to oppose police brutality? There might have been a genuine revolution. Instead, BLM only served to further divide an already divided nation.
Even now, years after BLM’s creation, it’s hard to believe that so few people dared speak out in opposition to this movement. In all fairness, the average white person wasn’t going to say much. How could they? They’d be immediately cancelled and dismissed, along with being labeled as racist and hateful. I’ve always spoken out against BLM. Being black, I’m dissed as being stupid or an Uncle Tom. Then I’m cancelled and dismissed of course.
But there’s one group in particular that shocks me with their silence. Christians. Christians are well known for vocalizing their beliefs. “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God”. “See ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth”. “Let your moderation be known unto all men”. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ”. “Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day”. Clearly, the Bible is consistently inclusive with regard to its doctrine. Which begs the question, why didn’t Christians remind people that all lives matter? That idea is about as spiritual as it gets. If the Christian community had been more conscious and more motivated, it could have helped to unite a divided nation. The Christian community could have served as an example to the larger community… something it’s supposedly doing anyway. Instead, the Christian community stood on the sidelines, said nothing, and watched the chaos unfold along with everyone else.
The founders of BLM are admitted Marxists. I’ve studied Marx myself. When I was in high school (and didn’t know any better), I used to be one myself. The prime directive of Marxism is the complete destruction of capitalist society. Marxism can then be substituted, and everyone will live happily ever after. Marxism is just another scam that people continue to buy into. It promises paradise on earth, but it’s got a bloody history to say the least. Once the Marxist connection is understood, it’s easy to see BLM for what it really is. It’s a tactic as much as a movement, that tactic being “divide and conquer”. BLM is a Trojan Horse that’s black on the outside and Marxist on the inside.
BLM could never have achieved such fame and fortune without the support of mass media. The media kept BLM in heavy rotation the way a DJ pushes a particular song in order to make it a hit. BLM became a smash. Naturally, the media never offered an opposing view… unless it came courtesy of Trump supporters or white supremacists. This naturally played into the hands of BLM and its rhetoric. The media proved to be the best friend (or accomplice) BLM could have ever had. It was the media who helped to cast the “BLM spell”. BLM and the media have been partners in sorcery. Ironically, the media seldom mentions BLM these days. Why? Because many people (including blacks who actually worked for the organization) finally started to wake up and speak out. The well hidden hypocrisies of BLM are legion.
BLM didn’t usher in Marxism, but it certainly divided society. Karl Marx would have been proud of the damage done. But is the damage irreparable? Is is too late for people to wake up to the spiritual fact that all lives matter? That depends on whether people wake up… then speak out, even at this late stage. I’ve spoken out from the very beginning. Years ago, when I first heard the phrase, Black Lives Matter, my response was immediate. My feelings remain unchanged.
All lives matter.