by Thug Scholar Ever since #Blacklivesmatter went viral on social media, particularly on Twitter, there's been a tendency on behalf of the general public to appropriate the hash tag into #____LivesMatter after a momentously tragic occurrence. Why exactly is this a problem, you might ask? It's a problem because it essentially means erasure, inappropriate demand, and silencing; it is an erasure of how state violence and racism affect Black people on a 28 hour basis. It is a demand to be centered in someone else's suffering. It is silencing towards the very people who are continually working to eradicate anti-Blackness on a daily basis. Appropriation of #BlackLivesMatter is not an act of solidarity; it is shoving your way into a specific issue, and neglecting the resistance of Black folks. Implicit in the phrase of Black Lives Matter is not the assertion that other lives don't matter. It is saying is that Black people's freedom is key to understanding the myriad of oppressions that exist. Respecting the movement without co-opting language is necessary in order to establish genuine solidarity. WE KNOW THAT OUR STRUGGLES ARE INTRICATELY CONNECTED AND WE NEED EACH OTHER TO GET FREE. THE ARGUMENT THAT WE’RE MAKING, HOWEVER, IS THAT BLACK LIVES ARE CENTRAL TO EVERYBODY’S FREEDOM. FIGHTING FOR BLACK LIBERATION IS ALSO FIGHTING FOR YOUR LIBERATION. ONE’S NOT BETTER THAN THE OTHER. BUT BLACK LIVES ARE CRITICAL, SO WE NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO THAT, STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH THAT AND NOT CHANGE THE CONVERSATION. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT CAN HAPPEN WHEN WE LUMP ALL PEOPLE TOGETHER IS THAT WE REALLY LOSE THE COMPLEXITY OF THE EXPERIENCES THAT WE HAVE IN THIS COUNTRY. IF WE LOSE THAT COMPLEXITY, WE LOSE OUT ON BUILDING SHARP STRATEGIES THAT CAN INCLUDE EVERYBODY.
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ATS MagAgainst the Stream Magazine is an urban platform. We edify our readers by finding noble, pure, and true talent and giving it a stage to flourish. While we love bragging about the folks around us, we also tackle urban issues by giving real world solutions. Archives
October 2015
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