TO THE EDITOR:
This country is almost 240 years old, and for nearly 190 of those, slavery and segregation were the status quo. Black lives mattering is still a fairly new concept.
“All lives matter” is uttered only in response to “black lives matter.” Why, when minority groups make space for themselves, do majority groups feel the need to be centered in that space?
White lives mattering was never a question. The system has always prioritized protecting white bodies.
How does saying “black lives matter” imply that others do not? Must you be black to assert the humanity of black people? This reminder is necessary because state-sponsored violence in the form of police brutality, modern poll taxes and mass incarceration undercut black lives mattering.
To those who need statistics to prove the questionable significance of black lives:
A black person is killed extrajudicially far too often.
Young blacks are 4.5 times more likely to be killed by police than any other age or racial group, according to the Center on Juvenile Crime and Criminal Justice.
From 1999-2011, African-Americans comprised 26 percent of police shooting victims, though are only 13 percent of the U.S. population.
