The Black Lives Matter Movement: The Whiteness Theory

By stating that all lives matter it negates the message that BLM is trying to make clear. It denies African Americans the recognition that their lives matter by attempting to make them feel foolish, selfish, or silly. If all lives matter, then black lives matter, but if all lives really did matter equally under the rule of law, BLM would not need to exist. Yet here BLM stands, stoically pushing for the legitimacy that it should have been rightfully awarded at its start. BLM’s struggle for legitimacy is based on the power structures of systemic racism created by the country’s unanimously white founders from the start. Within whiteness theory there are three arguments. First, a cultural/racial hierarchy has existed in the United States since

I believe that it is ultimately the responsibility of the media to breed mutual respect and understanding through exposure to different culture and lifestyles. Being a white male, I never had to think about my white privilege until BLM came into prominent display within news articles, texts, and social media. Over the last four years, I have become increasingly aware of my privilege within American society, and quite frankly I still have a long way to go. I understand how promotion of color blindness as a value leads to the proliferation and unconscious execution of racism. Learning the intimate details of the events that formed BLM gave me an even deeper appreciation of the movement. I am thankful to the BLM narrative for exposing the social injustices that are systemic to the American Justice System. In these ways and more BLM brings into focus a renewed sense of ethnic and racial identity for all parties involved. BLM also spurs majority and minority identity development as individuals are forced to evaluate their space in the world. We need to change things together, for the better of