Read on Twitter
Quick thread about “____ lives matter.”
When we collect money for UNICEF, we aren’t saying we should only care for children. When we participate in a breast cancer walkathon, we aren’t saying it’s the only illness we should fight.
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When we collect money for UNICEF, we aren’t saying we should only care for children. When we participate in a breast cancer walkathon, we aren’t saying it’s the only illness we should fight.
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When we volunteer to prepare meals for the elderly, we aren’t saying everyone else should go hungry. When we donate items to a domestic-violence shelter, we aren’t saying survivors are the only people who should be supported.
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When we work as allies for bullied teens, we’re not saying no other kid should be protected. These are marginalized groups in real danger from hunger, sickness, or violence,  who need our care - at times, more than others who are less targeted and enjoy more privilege.
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When we spotlight their needs, it doesn’t mean no one else has needs. It means we highlight those who need more urgent attention.
So when you hear “Black Lives Matter“ and think, “ALL lives matter“ you are fundamentally misunderstanding the motivation behind the phrase.
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So when you hear “Black Lives Matter“ and think, “ALL lives matter“ you are fundamentally misunderstanding the motivation behind the phrase.
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Of course all lives matter. That’s the point people are trying to make when they say “Black Lives Matter.“ Because, if you look at what’s happening here, and what has happened for decades and decades, it doesn’t seem like everyone believes that Black lives actually matter.
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Black lives are: taken in an instant when White lives wouldn’t; prevented from thriving by policies blocking economic, educational & social progress in ways White lives are not; have mattered less in the US than White lives – many times & places, they haven’t mattered at all.
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If your reaction is, “NO lives matter more than others,” stop and think whether, by commission or omission, the way you live your life gives approval to the idea that some lives matter less. Because, look around: they seem to, don’t they?
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So when you hear “Black Lives Matter,” maybe take a moment to consider whether, to you, they do, and, in what ways, they don’t.
And maybe try to figure out how you can become part of the process by which all lives, including Black lives, will finally matter in our country.
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And maybe try to figure out how you can become part of the process by which all lives, including Black lives, will finally matter in our country.
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