Black lives matter is supposed to be a peaceful movement working to recognize the importance of black Americans. Black Americans struggle everyday in society from being scared to walk down the street or to even go into a store. There are people that question everyday “don’t all lives matter?” I read an article on BLM called “What black lives matter means” by Lizz Schumer and she stated “Black lives matter means that black lives matter as much as any other life– not more, not less.” Saying “All lives matter” in response to black lives matter doesn’t recognize the specific challenges black Americans are facing and have had to face. It can imply that black people have been treated equally. 

These problems have affected people drastically. It’s a social and an emotional issue. I interviewed a student here at SPASH senior high to see how it has affected her and how she feels about it. “What do you know about BLM.” Her response was “I have a lot of mixed emotions when it comes to this topic because there are people who believe only black lives matter which is not what it is, it’s about standing up for black rights together as one.” This is a 17 year old black american.  We live in a small town and we go throw things like this everyday. From people saying “BLM is a joke” to “All lives matter”. The second question I asked her was “ What do you know about BLM” she stated “ I knew a lot about this topic but as of lately with all of the political things going on right now. I have read and seen all sides of the fence so I do have a lot of background knowledge.”  With that being said this has now turned into a political debate. 

There are endless articles, podcasts, and lesson plans about Black Lives matter. There is an understandable level of tension between “BLM” and “ALM”. , Black Americans are disproportionately impacted by police violence and systematic racism in our nation. Many don’t know that struggle of being black in America because it’s hard to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and to look at the world from their point of view. The difference between BLM and ALM is BLM is a movement protesting the disproportionate systemic racism and police brutality that Black Americans face every day. Know their names, Rayshard Brooks, Daniel Prude, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Atatiana Jefferson, Aura Rosser, Stephon Clark, Botham Jean, Philando Castille, Alton Sterling, Michelle Cusseaux, Freddie Gray, Janisha Fonville, Eric Garner, Akai Gurley, Gabriella Nevarez, Tamir Rice, Micheal Brown and Tanisha Anderson. These are just some of the Black Americans killed by police. There are many, many more.

With that being said ALM is a counterargument meant to bring down and discredit BLM, claiming that the movement is trying to raise Black people above everyone else. With that being said yes all lives do matter but what we want is black lives to matter just as much.