Why #BlackLivesMatter
The controversy around the group and movement identified as #BlackLivesMatter has stirred no small amount of controversy since its inception. By stressing that black lives matter, the typical argument goes, they must be suggesting that black lives matter more than other lives. Isn’t everyone of value? Why this focus just on black lives?
I get it. The name has made me uncomfortable from the beginning. And so I’m likely to opt for the compromise that many of our politicians on the campaign trail have suggested. “Yes, black lives matter, because all lives matter.”
I get it. But while I’m more comfortable with the assertion that all lives matter, I also know full well that it misses the point. The movement around #BlackLivesMatter isn’t saying that all lives don’t matter, or don’t matter equally. Rather, I think they are saying that the way this country and culture acts, you would think that we have collectively decided that black lives don’t matter, at least not as much as white ones do.
A colleague of mine put it this way: “When you see a house on fire and direct the firefighters to that house, you’re not saying that all the houses in the neighborhood don’t matter, you’re saying this one especially matters because it’s on fire.” My colleague is an African American pastor, I should add, who lives in a predominantly white neighborhood and has on various occasions been pulled over, though not for speeding. When he asks why, the police officers say they’re just doing their job. “Right now,” he added, “our house is on fire.”
There was a similar argument among some theologians I knew a decade or two ago around liberationist theology and, in particular, the phrase “God’s preferential option for the poor.” Gustavo Gutierrez coined this assertion in his landmark book A Theology of Liberation
I think that’s part of what’s going on in the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Of course all lives matter, but right now we’re not acting as if that’s true. Moreover, some of our family are hurting and need and deserve serious attention. The name and movement continue to make me uncomfortable. But they’re supposed to. Because they are calling us to first see and acknowledge and then act to change an uncomfortable reality in our world. And so that’s why #BlackLivesMatter. And that’s also why, even when it makes me uncomfortable, I realize again and again that everything I’ve read in the Bible and know about God through Jesus tells me this is true.
Thank you, David, for adding another way to help people understand what is meant by this movement and what the point of it actually is. I agree with your colleague – his “house” is indeed on fire – and as Jesus’ disciples, we are called to help to douse that fire. The first step is to smell the smoke and see the flames.
Of course all lives matter, and of course, police lives matter just as much as black lives. NO ONE is saying otherwise. I don’t know what the answers are, but I do know that dialogue and discussion along with some serious actual listening to each other simply must occur for the change of which you speak to come about…
Thank you for this. I appreciate the illustration of the house on fire and having additional vocabulary on this subject.
Just this morning, a colleague recounted a story about her nephew. He has bushy black hair, and darker complected, but is white. Recently, he was pulled over by a police officer. The young man was ready with license in hand. His car had recently been inspected, so he knew everything was working properly. When the officer saw him, he said, “Oh, you can go. I thought you were black.” The young man went to the closest police station, not to file a complaint, but to let them know what happened. I know this not indicative of most police officers…but it makes it patently clear why this issue is of great importance.
Thank you!
After saying thank you, I realized that I should have also asked you if it is ok with you if I use this in my church this weekend.
Hi, Nancy. You’re always welcome to use anything you find here. Thanks for checking in.
Thanks for the reflection. I wrote a similar piece just last week and I wanted to share it with you (it really was a blessing to have my “privileged” voice stripped away): https://chaswiener.wordpress.com/2015/09/03/silenced/
As always, thank YOU for your ministry…especially to this newly ordained pastor!
Pastor Wiener, I just read your piece on this subject and your sermon “A Letter to Jesus”. They were both very moving. Thank you for sharing the link.
Discomfort with the name and movement? I’m a lot more uncomfortable with a dominant culture in which black people quite reasonably conclude that their lives are not valued as highly as the lives of those of us who are considered white. How about being uncomfortable with the fact that black people are 4x more likely than whites to die in police custody or while being arrested than whites (source: Dept. of Justice stat.)? Or with the fact that blacks make up less than 30% of Americans, but %60 of the prison population (source: NAACP)? I’d love to see those of us who think of ourselves as white own up to the advantages that inure to us solely by virtue of our skin color, and get uncomfortable enough to repent–and change.
Here’s a simple way to begin noticing how our culture implies that some lives matter more than others. As you watch or read the news, pay attention to the amount of coverage given to a white woman or girl who is missing or murdered vs. that given to a black woman or girl who is missing or murdered. Also notice the length of each story, how many of their friends and family are interviewed, whether there’s a request for help and how many people volunteer, donate or place flowers at the site. You might find similar differences based on whether the victim is perceived as highly intelligent, talented, or attractive. Disabled and poor people also get less attention unless they are being praised for “overcoming their circumstances” rather than just recognized for their strengths, which are completely independent of any challenging circumstances. While the privileged might think they’re offering a compliment, it is actually an unintended insult.