Since the death of George Floyd and subsequent protests this past summer, many people have messaged me asking me what I think about “BLM”. They are not curious what I think about the ethical ideology that Black peoples’ lives matter, they want to know what I think of the global organization. Other than the knowledge of who founded the organization and that it exists, I am not associated with the political platforms of the group. This is because I see a distinct difference between an organization and the ethical statement, “Black lives matter.” As a Black man, stating “Black lives matter” was never political for me. It was, and will continue to be, personal and ethical. The lives of my family, friends, and myself matter.
While I am sure that the majority of these people who ask me are well intentioned, often lost in their narrative as we fight for racial equity and equality is the reason we are fighting. We are fighting not for one whole generic populace, we are fighting for a group of individuals. Each and every one of those individuals comes from a unique background. Each and every one of those individuals has a story to tell. Each and every one of those individuals deserves the human rights that we are all entitled. Yet as each and every one of these people shares their story and fights for their rights, do you really care?
