In
All Lives Matter,
Black Lives Matter
How Colorblindness Contributes to the Post-Racial Conversation
Race relations in America has always been a hot topic. Whether the conversation has been about slavery, segregation, integration, white supremacy, privilege, or affirmative action, Americans have either been on the side of injustice or the side of justice. When surveyed by CBS News, eight in ten Americans said that there has been real progress in eliminating racial discrimination; however, views changed when respondents were separated by race. 82% of white Americans believe there has been significant progress in race relations made, while only 50% of black Americans believe the same. Because of the presumed growth that society has made over many years in regards to race relations in America, many people, specifically the group All Lives Matter, see society as post-racial. Nevertheless, one of the largest social justice movements in America today, Black Lives Matter, believes that race relations is not where it needs to be in 2017. The following sections of this article will [briefly] dissect both groups, their history and beliefs, and how their beliefs dictate the tool or strategy they use to contribute to the conversation about post-racial America.
In 2012, the flame was lit. The spark that lit this flame was the killing of a black seventeen-year-old teenager named Trayvon Martin. He was walking in his father’s apartment complex in Florida when he was confronted by the neighborhood watch man, George Zimmerman. Zimmerman saw Trayvon as a threat; even after calling the police and being told to stop following Trayvon, Zimmerman confronted the seventeen-year-old boy and eventually shot him. Not even a year later, a social justice group named Black Lives Matter was founded to protest the outcome of the trial related to Martin’s death; George Zimmerman was acquitted of all charges. Black Lives Matter originally used its name as a call-to-action on social media for all racial and cultural groups to protest what they saw as injustice to people of color, specifically police brutality and white supremacy. People hashtagged #BlackLivesMatter when either talking about a social injustice in the black community or simply as a standalone phrase. According to Black Lives Matter’s website, “Black Lives Matter is an ideological and political intervention in a world where black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise.” To this day, Black Lives Matter actively attends protests, creates campaigns, and fights for justice for people of all identities.
All Lives Matter is another social justice movement that was formed after the founding of Black Lives Matter. Unlike its counterpart, this group is not an organization. It is primarily used on social media, normally in response to a post using the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter. This phrase has also been used verbally in response to someone saying ‘Black Lives Matter’. The creation of this phrase came from some people believing that Black Lives Matter is not inclusive to everyone and promotes divisiveness among races. It has also been used by people in an attempt of inclusive solidarity. According to Mark Orbe, “Some Whites describe the more universally inclusive alternative [All Lives Matter] as a form of solidarity and a declaration against police brutality of people of all races.” The end-goal of All Lives Matter is to create a racial neutrality.
One point of contention between Black Lives Matter and All Lives Matter are their beliefs about post-racial society in America. According to The Atlantic, “[post-racial] is usually employed by talk show hosts and news anchors looking to measure progress in the Obama era.” This term did not become well-used until Barack Obama was elected as the 44th President of the United States in 2012. Once he was sworn in, many people used his success as this ultimate accomplishment to feed the post-racial rhetoric. Obama was the poster example of how far America has come and was used to make the claim that race relations in America is better than it has ever been. Black Lives Matter dissents of this belief because the presence of one black man in the White House does not erase the hundreds of years of injustice and systematic racism that is embedded in society. According to race scholar Kent Ono, “post racial rhetoric can be understood as a form of ‘historical amnesia’.” This means that by saying society is at the point where race is deemed no longer important, people are pretending that big events and movements regarding racial divisions and integrations did not happen. Historical amnesia is saying that slavery, segregation, integration, and systematic racism never happened.
Being self-described as colorblind is one of the biggest post-racial rhetoric strategies that All Lives Matter utilizes. The most frequent forms of this are “I do not see color,” and “I do not care if you are black, white, red, blue, yellow, or orange…” Often, those who say these things say that the only color they see is the red blood that everyone sheds. While being colorblind is meant to be neutral and a way to eliminate racism (because if you cannot see color, you cannot be racist), the outcome does not match the intention. According to Mark Orbe, “what oftentimes remains unspoken (and unchallenged) are the ways in which color-blind rhetoric fails to recognize and address continued forms of racial discrimination and institutionalized racism.” Supporters of Black Lives Matter negate this rhetorical strategy because of its perceived offensiveness and erasure to many communities, specifically black communities. There is a lot of history -- both good and bad -- that is erased whenever someone claims colorblindness. According to Terry Husband Jr., “[colorblind approaches] work to exacerbate racial oppression,” despite its attempt at neutrality. When someone refuses to see color, they are also refusing to see the oppression and struggles that come with that color or race. This continues to perpetuate racial oppression because it is assumed that nothing is wrong.
Black Lives Matter uses a different strategy to meet their goals of creating equity for people of all colors, and helping to end systemic racism and police brutality. Their strategy does not use the idea of a post-racial society, mainly because Black Lives Matter does not believe in the existence of a society like that. According to Shanelle Matthews, the lead communications strategist for Black Lives Matter, “Our [Black Lives Matter] strategy is to organize and mobilize people, actively working to broaden international conversation about the impact of state violence on black people and communities, drive critical conversations from the ’hood to the White House about authentic transformation of American democracy, and ensure policies reflect and prioritize the needs of black people.” This social justice group purely focuses on its target community: the needs of it, what is and is not working, and how to spread the message of what is found out. This differs from All Lives Matter, which focuses on fighting Black Lives Matter instead of speaking out about the injustices that happen to people of all identities, as their group name suggests would be done.
There are two main social justice groups in America. One focuses on fighting injustices for people of color, specifically black people. The other wants to shift the conversation about social justice to be inclusive to everyone. This article has provided information about the main tool both groups use to meet their respective goals. All Lives Matter uses color-blindness to promote a post-racial society. While the intentions behind this method is noble, the outcome lacks a strong foundation and is seen as ignorant by the group Black Lives Matter because of its erasure of history. According to SocietyPages, “Color-blind ideologies are problematic because they specifically remove racism, past or present, as explanatory factors for disparities.” Black Lives Matter alternately focuses on communication in order to mobilize people and make sure that the needs of black people are reflected in and understood by lawmakers. This focus is seen as exclusive to all other groups by All Lives Matter, as they believe the focus should be on promoting how any and all people, no matter their identity, matter. Each group’s belief and tools used to further their message and meet their goals consistently contribute to the ongoing conversation about a post-racial society in America.
Author's Note: This article (i.e. essay) was orginally written for my English course in 2017.
