“All lives matter” has been a direct response to the Black Lives Matter movement.
The phrase has been around for about a year, but in recent weeks it’s been the comment to combat all violence against humans, especially in light of recent deadly shootings targeting police in Baton Rouge and Dallas.
DeRay McKesson is one of the most well-known leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement. He spoke with CNN on Sunday breaking down exactly what the movement means and why the phrase that seems inclusive is actually offensive.
“It’s the interesting thing that people are frustrated that black people are focusing on the unique trauma that black people are faced in this country
And I would never go to a breast cancer rally and yell out colon cancer matters. That’s what people are doing here. They are frustrated by the fact that people are focusing on the inequity and injustice specifically targeted to black people.
We know the way blackness functions in this country is unique and we have to deal with that trauma in a different way. We also know in focusing on black people, that other people will also benefit when we get to equity and justice.
So I think of all lives matter as a distraction technique that has probably been one of the most throughline distraction techniques of the moment, but it doesn’t get us away from talking about the key issues at hand, which are police violence and the world that we want to live in, which is a world where police don’t kill people.”
McKesson has attended a meeting with President Barack Obama about improving relations between the police and the public.
McKesson was arrested while protesting Alton Sterling‘s death, in Baton Rouge although authorities dropped those charges last Friday.
