All Lives Matter

By: Janelle Tyme

On June 23, Hillary Clinton visited a predominantly Black Protestant church in Florissant, Mo., where she addressed issues such as the confederate flag and opportunities for youth, among many others.

After discussing institutionalized racism, she made the dismissive statement “all lives matter”. Many took to Twitter to express their distaste for a statement loaded with much violence and erasure directed towards the Black community and our use of the statement “Black Lives Matter”.

Hey @HillaryClinton, At the black church today near Ferguson, MO you said “All lives matter” not #BlackLivesMatter. Was that intentional?

— David Shuster (@DavidShuster) June 24, 2015

Dear @HillaryClinton: you REALLY need to be aware of the connotation of the phrase “All lives matter.” Do better. –fellow @Wellesley alumna — Monica Byrne (@monicabyrne13) June 24, 2015

Hillary Clinton went to a black church in ferguson & said “all lives matter”? pic.twitter.com/bOrNmqCDus

— sarah (@Snappleyard) June 23, 2015

The violence and erasure of this statement is directly tied to Black history and racism. Black humanity and citizenship has been denied for eons around the world (see the Tulsa race riot, the long history of the burning of Black churches, the history of sterilization targeted towards Black women, etc.).

Yes, all lives matter, but not all lives are being taken every 28 hours. There is no need to be “politically correct” and ensure that non-Blacks are not offended by Black people expressing their right to be treated like humans because the targeting of Black people is not “politically correct” in itself.

In looking at the flip-side, however, her use of “all lives matter” may not have been to dismiss the importance of Black issues, but, instead, to promote inclusivity in her presidential campaign; a message that may resonate with a wider range of people. This is a balancing act — a game, if you will — that all presidential candidates must participate in: trying to connect with as many voters as possible by saying all the right things, thereby, garnering more votes.

Perhaps, the statement “all lives matter” may have been better received by or more well-suited for a non-predominantly Black church or town. But, when speaking to an audience composed predominantly of Blacks, in a Black church (especially after what happened in Charleston), in a majority Black town, it is, in fact, minimizing the reality that Black people experience, in favour of political correctness. It’s almost similar to attending a cancer fundraiser and proclaiming, “There are other diseases in need of support too!”

Historically, the majority of the Black community has voted Democratic (Clinton’s party); maybe these results have led her to believe that working for the Black community’s vote is not necessary.

These necessary questions must be asked though: Why is it so hard to focus solely on Black lives? Why is there not a problem when other groups advocate for issues within their communities? Why must our existence be constantly snuffed out by the need to be unpolitically-politically correct?

This may be hard to grasp for some non-Blacks and maybe even some Blacks alike, but the phrase “Black Lives Matter” is not meant to be offensive or non-inclusive. Rather, it is meant to shed light on Black lives, because Black lives are the ones at stake. This is our reality; we do not have the privilege of being colourblind. Yes, all lives matter, but not all are being killed or targeted due to the colour of their skin.

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