Rebuttal: The Black Lives Matter Movement is Productive; Enacting Real Change

By: Khushi Patel

To read the article by Harrison Strong Ms. Patel is rebutting click here.

In the summer of 2020, there was a revival of the Black Lives Matter movement (originally founded in 2013) due to the unjust killing of a 46-year-old Black man, George Floyd. Since then, millions of American citizens (estimated largest protests in United States History with up to 26 million participants) have undergone a series of protests against the continual discrimination against Black Americans, with many more happening right at this moment. As the fight against institutionalized and systematic racism skyrockets, the number of critics does as well.

An issue people tend to have with the Black Lives Matter Movement is the “rioting” and “tearing down statues attempting to change history in order to identify and remove racism”, as stated by a guest writer on a recent article on The Teen View (We Must Reform the Far-Left Unproductive Black Lives Matter Movement). Removing Confederate and racist statues and relocating them to museums rather than public areas prevents showcasing the racist leaders of America’s past. This does not mean in any way that protesters are attempting to “change history”. This was solely done so that generals, like Robert E. Lee and staunch segregationists like Strom Thurmond, weren’t left on public property for glorification. It makes sense that the general rioting by BLM is a concern for many people, as violence is never seen in a pleasant light; however, 93% of all protests were all carried out in a peaceful way. If 7% of protests are more concerning to people than the mistreatment and unjust murdering of Black people, then there needs to be a change in priority.

The article by the contributor continued to state, “The idea of racism is real, but it isn’t as huge as we think. Blacks getting shot by the police while unarmed is in actuality a 0.0004% occurrence out of the ten million people arrested...In fact, of the average 10 million arrests a year as reported by the DOJ, only 3 million are black.” However, this is not accurately analyzed. Black people are 2.8 times more likely to be shot by the police than white people. They make up 32% of all deaths from the lethal force by law enforcement, while also being more likely to be unarmed. The 3 million arrests of black people of the total average of 10 million arrests is not a small number; this means that they make up 30% of all arrests. Both of these percentages (deaths by lethal force and arrests) are disproportionate because black people are only 13% of the U.S. population. Additionally, discounting the experiences and situations that African-Americans and other people of color go through is utterly uninformed and partial. There is a clear disparity in law enforcement deaths around the United States; denial gets us nowhere.

The article also mentioned specific people that have spoken in regard to the movement such as Don Lemon, where it states that he mentioned the Black Lives Matter Movement is not about dealing with “black-on-black” crime. Many people, specifically those that push the “All Lives Matter” agenda, often bring up the argument that the Black Lives Matter movement ignores crime when it is “black-on-black”. This argument has nothing to do with the point BLM is making because the movement is centered around protesting against the racially-motivated discrimination and murder on the African American community. When “Black-on-Black” crime occurs, it is just crime. Higher rates of crime exist within the same race, but this is solely a matter of living proximity. When so-called “Black on Black” crime occurs, the perpetrators are arrested and punished, unlike often when Black people are killed by police. People of the same race tend to live closer with one another, which will obviously lead to higher rates of crime; this is not, however, an issue that regards the topic of racial discrimination, which is what the Black Lives Matter Movement is fighting against.

The Black Lives Matter movement does not call for white people to “apologize” for what their ancestors have done. An apology is not necessary, but a recognition of the legacies that the past has today is a start to meaningful progress. The United States must take responsibility for the past and work to heal the racial divide that exists in the present day. White people will never be denied jobs, randomly stopped or profiled by the police and have to fear for their lives, or have people walk in the opposite direction in attempts to avoid them solely due to the color of their skin. All of these issues highlight examples of systemic and culturally stigmatized racism that have been molded through the media and American culture in general. White privilege does not mean that a white person has never struggled in their lifetime; it simply means that they will never struggle specifically for being white. When we recognize our privileges, we seek to find ways to make it better for the people that do not have those equal opportunities. Systemic racism is a system that affects Black people in every area of life in the United States, oftentimes in discreet ways. There is systemic racism in healthcare, education, housing, voting, government institutions, employment almost all sections of life. An important example that reflects this concept is the incarceration rates of African Americans. In 2018, black males accounted for 33% of the total prison population in the United States, and white people made up 30%; this is concerning as black people are a minority of the population, whereas white people are the majority. The percentages, however, have a lot to do with implicit biases and the over-policing of black neighborhoods that lead to arrests of black people at higher rates than white people. To call systemic racism nonexistent, especially as someone that has never experienced these fears or encounters themselves, insinuates that they only wish to invalidate and silence their experiences.

Referencing back to the article mentioned previously, it stated, “If we want a pure ‘black lives matter’ and not black lives better/superior, we better devote our efforts to reforming black society, INCLUDING crime.” The Black Lives Matter Movement is not insinuating that Black people are “better” or the “superior” race; it is simply just trying to raise awareness and attempt to reform the systems that treat Black people unequally. Many people place an emphasis on “black”, assuming that the movement is attempting to set other races as inferior when this is just a misconception. We must think, if the movement was called All Lives Matter from the beginning, would anyone have paid attention. The movement’s goal is to create a greater sense of equality for African Americans in the United States. For example, in 2020, the movement has led officials in states like Washington, California, Nevada, and Texas to ban chokeholds and initiate further police reform policies, in response to the unjust killing of George Floyd. Other actions include the illegalization of the “No-Knock Policy” that would make it unlawful for authorities to enter a household without knocking first, in response to another, recent, unjust killing of the innocent EMT Breonna Taylor. Policies like these are important for the black community in modern times because they are consistently targeted throughout society. Enshrining in law protections for African Americans and people of color will help mitigate the effects of systemic racism and discrimination, but this is only the beginning.

Another example of systemic racism in American society is the healthcare system, which heavily discriminates against Black women. They are four times more likely to die in childbirth than white women(American Heart Association). This is mainly due to health care mistreatment and low economic statuses; they are more likely to be disregarded by medical staff when complications arise and are at overall lower economic socio-economic statuses; this is due to a lack of generational wealth and opportunity to obtain economic mobility. Black babies are additionally more likely to die during birth, but more likely live under the care of Black doctors. Even looking at the current pandemic, the areas that are worst affected by death rates are predominantly African Americans who lack the resources to get proper treatment. Another example is the fact that Black women are 40% more likely to die from breast cancer. Although wealth is one factor that forms racial disparities in health care, many factors show that racism in healthcare is a greater problem than economic and education status. According to Medpage, “The mortality rate for babies born to black mothers with a master's or doctorate degree is far worse than the mortality rate for babies born to white mothers with less than an eighth-grade education.” Factors like these call for reform of the health care system by the Black Lives Matter Movement in the U.S.

The Black Lives Matter Movement is consequential to the black community, as it is a great awakening to the people who may not have known or cared in the past. Black people are fighting for their rights. Instead of heavily criticizing the movement, it is important to join together and continue moving forward. This is not a Black versus White fight; this is a fight against racism and oppression in our beloved nation.

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