This week, the singing group The Tenors suspended a member who added the words “all lives matter” to Canada’s national anthem at Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game.
As the debate around race and law enforcement has grown — especially since the fatal shootings of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, and five police officers in Dallas — there remains considerable debate and confusion surrounding the phrase “All Lives Matter,” which appeared often on social media before becoming part of a major sporting event.
How has a phrase that seems to state a non-controversial idea — all life is important — turned into a source of contention? It’s because the phrase doesn’t exist in a vacuum.
The “Black Lives Matter” movement was first created by Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi and Patrisse Cullors in 2013 after George Zimmerman was acquitted of shooting and killing 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. But as BLM began gaining widespread attention, people started using #AllLivesMatter in response to the movement.
One of the largest misconceptions surrounding the BLM movement is that its supporters believe that only black lives are important. Members of the movement say that is not the case.
When the phrase “All Lives Matter” is used in response to the BLM movement, it essentially ignores the systemic racism that black people face, according to Ashton P. Woods, a community activist and Black Lives Matter Houston organizer.
“It started popping up when people who decided that in their infinite white privilege, ‘What about me? I matter too,'” Woods told TheWrap. “These people have no idea what the plight is of a black person.”
Society already values white lives. And as UC Berkley’s Judith Butler explains, universalizing the issue into “All Lives Matter” fails to acknowledge that society doesn’t consider black lives to fall under the same umbrella as “all lives” — which often gets translated into just “white lives.”
Supporters of “All Lives Matter” say they use the phrase because they want to express that not just black lives are important.
#AllLivesMatter in a world of inequality As soon as we see everybody as equals no matter race,gender the the world would be a better place
But BLM supporters stress that the movement isn’t about believing no other races matter. Instead, the movement seeks to highlight and change how racism disproportionately affects the black community, in terms of police brutality, job security, socioeconomic status, educational opportunities, and more.
“When we say ‘Black Lives Matter,’ we’re talking about dismantling the system that has existed for over 400 years and making sure that we build our own table,” Woods said. “We can’t build our own table and supply our own needs and demands without making sure the system that is preventing us from doing it is dismantled.”
“Across the board, when you look at how we’re treated holistically, you’ll see that many of these issues are not indicative of the people who say ‘All Lives Matter’ because they don’t have to worry about that,” Woods added. “Nobody knows what it’s like to be black except for a black person, and that’s culturally and ethnically speaking, because ‘blackness’ is not a monolithic thing.”
Critics of “All Lives Matter” say the phrase takes away from the root of the problem that the Black Lives Matter movement is trying to change and instead supports the system of power already in place.
Ferguson Fallout: The Scene Following Decision Not to Indict Officer Darren Wilson (Photos)
Police officers march by a burning squad car during a demonstration in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Looters run out of a store in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Looters break into a business during unrest in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.
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A protester is surrounded by tear gas in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Firefighters try to extinguish a burning restaurant in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.
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A restaurant is set on fire by protesters in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Protesters kneel with their hands up in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.
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A row of cars is set on fire at a used car lot during a demonstration in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.
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St. Louis Co. Prosecutor Robert McCulloch announces the grand jury's decision not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in Clayton, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Demonstrators in Ferguson, Missouri listen to a car radio as the grand jury's decision is delivered on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Heavily armed police officers confront protesters in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.
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St. Louis County police officers in riot gear guard the Ferguson police department on Nov. 24, 2014.
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A suspected looter is detained outside a Dollar Store in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Police deploy tear gas during a demonstration in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.
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CNN Reporter Sara Sidner was hit in the head with a rock while covering the Ferguson unrest on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Protesters march in New York City following the grand jury decision in Missouri, Nov. 24, 2014.
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Protesters march through the streets of New York City after learning Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson would not be charged, Nov. 24, 2014.
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A woman faces police officers on the Harbor Freeway (110) in Los Angeles during a protest against the Ferguson grand jury decision on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Protesters gather outside a shopping center in the Crenshaw District of Los Angeles on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Protesters in Beverly Hills block traffic at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Rodeo Dr. in reaction to the Ferguson grand jury decision on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Protesters gather outside the White House after the Ferguson grand jury decision on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Hundreds of protesters, many of them Howard University students, gather outside the White House after the Ferguson grand jury decision on Nov. 24, 2014.
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President Barack Obama calls for calm during a news conference in Washington, DC after the grand jury's decision on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Brown family attorney Benjamin Crump speaks during a press conference about the Ferguson grand jury decision in Dellwood, Missouri on Nov. 25, 2014.
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A worker cleans up glass at a business that was damaged during a demonstration following the grand jury decision in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 25, 2014.
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Ferguson Mayor James W. Knowles III addresses the delayed deployment of the National Guard at a press conference in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 25, 2014.
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Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon speaks about the widespread rioting and looting following the Ferguson grand jury decision during a news conference on Nov. 25, 2014.
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Missouri national guardsmen line up in front of the Ferguson police station on Nov. 25, 2014, ready to be deployed a day after demonstrators caused extensive damage in the city after the grand jury decision.
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Police officers secure the Los Angeles Police Department Headquarters after protesters pushed over barricades during demonstrations on Nov. 25, 2014.
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A protester sits in the back of a Los Angles Police Department transport bus in the early morning hours of Nov. 26, 2014, after being arrested at a protest against the Ferguson grand jury decision.
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Police arrest a Ferguson protester during the early morning hours of Nov. 26, 2014.
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A protester has her eyes flushed after being pepper sprayed by police in Ferguson on Nov. 26, 2014.
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Protesters turned over a police car during a demonstration on Nov. 25, 2014 in Ferguson.
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Lesley McSpadden, mother of Michael Brown Jr., attends a press conference in New York City on Nov. 26, 2014 to pray and address the events of the last few days.
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Protesters set up barricades and block the 101 freeway in Los Angeles following the Ferguson grand jury decision, during a protest on Nov. 25, 2014.
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Violence erupts in Ferguson, and protests are held across the country after a grand jury decided Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson would not face criminal charges in the shooting death of Michael Brown
Police officers march by a burning squad car during a demonstration in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.