BLACK LIVES MATTER!!!

Instructions

Black likes matter should not be a controversial topic to a country that pledges liberty and justice for all. Many people who disagree with the movement do not care about or understand it. To understand the BLM movement, one must first understand how it started, why it should be supported and its counterpart. BLM is a slogan, a protest movement which emerged after the death of a young african american teen,Trayvon Martin by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in early 2012 and the police involved killings in the following years. In 2015 alone, police shot and killed at least 102 unarmed black people. Only 10 officers were charged with a crime and only 2 were convicted. Of the 2 that were convicted only 1 recieved jail time which was a one year sentence he was allowed to serve exclusively on the weekends. In 2015 unarmed black people were killed at 5 times the rate of unarmed whites by police. Police involved violence towards black people is out of control. Black lives matter should be supported because black people keep getting murdered by a group of people that are supposed to be protecting us and no justice is being served for it. Black lives matter should be supported by all americans because this country was built on black labor and suffering. Black lives matter should be supported because black people continue to exemplify what it means to be human in the face of inhumanity. In the times since slavery and segregation, black people are still being mistreated in the united states. Many americans are not concerned with the movement because it does not affect them. White privilege gives people a pass on not having to deal with equality because it does not affect them. Many americans refuse to believe that a police officer would ever do something as bad as giving a black person or any person of color for that matter, a hard time even though it has been proven multiple times. As I have seen on social media, many people don't understand the act of the black community. The hashtag was created to get justice for the brothers and sisters who were taken way too soon. It is confusing to me how someone can disagree with the statement: Black Lives Matter. The opposite side insists that all lives matter. The all lives matter movement dismisses the inequality going on in the United States. Supporters of ALM do not fully understand the statement BLM. If there are 3 houses and 1 house catches on fire, the fire department will not put water on all 3 houses because all houses matter, they would help the house that needed it. The supporters of ALM read the statement black lives matter and they decided to not agree with it. If they read something like, 'gay lives matter' or 'women's lives matter' they would support it to the fullest and they wouldn't be so pressed. The only difference is one word. Black lives matter is a movement and a call to raise awareness and do something about the mistreatment that Black people face in their own country. Their own country that claims to stand for equality, freedom and justice for all, yet denies it to them? Black lives matter is a necessary protest that needs to be understood to the fullest because all lives can't matter unless black lives start to matter. Over the past couple weeks hundreds of thousands of people across the United States and around the world have marched in protest of police brutality against Black people and to firmly and unequivocally state that Black Lives Matter. I wholeheartedly stand in solidarity with these protestors. Black lives matter. They should be valued, uplifted, and celebrated. The struggles, injustices, and adversity Black people have faced in this country is truly horrible and it is heartbreaking how deeply routed racism is within our society. It must end. As a white person I know I can never truly understand the struggles Black people have gone through but I can listen to their stories, I can take it upon myself to educate myself, I can be an ally that stands against injustices and takes action, and I can be there to lift up Black voices and show up in difficult situations today, tomorrow, and everyday after that. I am constantly inspired by the Scratch Community and how much love, creativity, and care go into the creation of Scratch projects and interactions with others. We can all make a difference by standing up for and alongside each other. Black voices matter. Black feelings matter. Black lives matter! <3