Why Black Lives Matter

[sheshe2]

At the Law for Black Lives Summit in New York City this past weekend, hundreds of lawyers, activists, organizers and law students were in attendance and ready to play their role in the Black Lives Matter movement. The unrelenting question was beyond our race and personal experiences, why do Black Lives Matter?

Arab Americans and all immigrant communities enjoy and depend upon the freedom, liberties, rights, and government policies hundreds of thousands of African Americans sacrificed their lives to have. Without Black Lives you would not have been allowed to enter this country and become a citizen, you would not have the right to vote, you would not have the opportunity to go to college, you would not have the right to use the same bathroom and facilities as Whites, you would not have the right to marry outside your race, you would not be considered human. The list of rights secured by African Americans, although inalienable rights that we should not have had to fight and die for but did, is endless.

Racism, discrimination, profiling, bias and stereotypes is not a new phenomenon created after 9/11 against Arab Americans. This country was founded upon divisions and classifications where African Americans were not equal, 3/5 of a person, and our Native American brothers and sisters were not even considered a person. Institutions were created and laws enacted to not only keep African Americans segregated from the rest of American citizens, but to isolate the community, to keep African Americans in poverty, to limit their education and employment opportunities, to monitor their actions and speech, to portray them as ugly, animals and criminals. Sounds familiar? This same pedagogy has just been recycled and used against Arab Americans.

Immigrants are misconceived by the selling of the American dream, that you can make it if you work hard and everything will be okay once you are a citizen. However, the traffic stop, arrest, and death of Soror Sandra Bland (Omega Rho) showed us that this is not true. Soror Bland’s rights were violated by an overzealous police officer because of her race. Soror Bland was dragged out of her own vehicle without probable cause of violation of any law, and brutalized because she knew her rights and was not silent about invoking her rights.

Please Read More: http://www.adc.org/2015/08/why-do-black-lives-matter/

*********This is the African American Group*******

Please show them respect.

[Downwinder]

1. I can think of no facet of United States culture

that has not been profoundly and beneficially affected by non-white contributions. If we were able to attribute all the items of the culture I think it would be found to be more non-white than white.

[giftedgirl77]

3. Uh-yeah, then when you start removing unnatural toxic shit,

white folks are screwed.

[SusanCalvin]

8. I personally don't feel screwed.

I feel grateful. See #7.

[giftedgirl77]

10. I don't know wth you're talking about but I think you're

off base.

[SusanCalvin]

14. I need to just shut up, I think.

Too many things taken backward of what I thought I meant.

I meant I'm grateful to anyone who fights for civil rights, for any group or person that does not have them fully.

[giftedgirl77]

15. It's ok, sometimes my mind bends all over the place.

[SusanCalvin]

16. Well, I could have said what I meant in one place.

But I was too lazy on the tablet....

[giftedgirl77]

2. Hey sheshe, how are you doing?

I want to point this last paragraph out for everyone that see's this OP & can't get past the Black in Black Lives Matter.

"All communities of color lives, freedom, and liberty are at stake. We need to understand that we all must protect each other like in Louisiana, where African Americans were not silent once the profiling of Muslim and Arab Americans by police officers in traffic stops began post 9/11 and against Latinos post-Katrina’s legal migration of workers to help with reconstruction. We are stronger in numbers, and they fear the day we all unite and we are no longer silent. We are living in the midst of the modern day civil rights movement, and we are ready to legally, politically, and socially defend the movement, are you?"

It has been a long day of dealing with white people on DU some that have been very condescending & others who seemed to be right out of Freeperville. White people please stop getting stuck on the word Black, it's not as scary as it seems.

[sheshe2]

4. Hey you.

So wanted to post it all, giftedgirl.

If you don't mind, I will highlight again. You can only post 4 paragraphs. It never tells the story. It is hard to pick and chose.

From your link on my thread.

"All communities of color lives, freedom, and liberty are at stake. We need to understand that we all must protect each other like in Louisiana, where African Americans were not silent once the profiling of Muslim and Arab Americans by police officers in traffic stops began post 9/11 and against Latinos post-Katrina’s legal migration of workers to help with reconstruction. We are stronger in numbers, and they fear the day we all unite and we are no longer silent. We are living in the midst of the modern day civil rights movement, and we are ready to legally, politically, and socially defend the movement, are you?"

We are stronger in numbers, and they fear the day we all unite and we are no longer silent. We are living in the midst of the modern day civil rights movement, and we are ready to legally, politically, and socially defend the movement, are you?"

One Voice. One Voice. One Voice.

Alone. We get nothing. Together we stand. For to many years, we all tried to do it alone. Yes, BLM and Women stand for them, LGBT stands for them, PoC stand for them. You want to know why? They stand for us as well. We work as a group/groups. We are the minorities please stand with us. Stand up.

[giftedgirl77]

6. Thanks for highlighting it sheshe...

Somehow a majority of minorities gets this, I don't understand why some have such a hard time.

[ismnotwasm]

5. A beautiful post Sheshe2

There is so much relevant history--recent and remote that's is applicable to this, and the information is no longer hard to find. One only has to be willing.

[sheshe2]

9. ism.

There is so much relevant history--recent and remote that's is applicable to this, and the information is no longer hard to find. One only has to be willing.

" One only has to be willing"

It has been a pleasure and an honor getting to know you better.

When some of the scrutiny falls away, we can talk freely.

[SusanCalvin]

7. Yep.

"The list of rights secured by African Americans, although inalienable rights that we should not have had to fight and die for but did, is endless."

[Starry Messenger]

11. k&r

[gwheezie]

12. I read the entire article

Thank you for highlighting it. I always learn so much from this group and pass along the information I get here.

[azurnoir]

13. NO racial profiling didn't start after 9/11, it's been going on as long as I can remember

The sad fact is that it took several very high profile murders by police to wake people (the broad range) up. That said the grinding day in day out harassment of PoC with Blacks being disproportionately targeted even within that group by LEO's goes on unchecked as it has for decades

We should be well past the time when PoC have to fight for their everyday rights but obviously we cannot that we are still discussing this 51 years after the Civil Rights Act was passed proves bigotry can not be legislated away , a recent poll by NPR showed very little to no change in racial attitudes among Whites and that included millennials too, who while saying they's like to have Black friends, most did not and when answering questions showed every bit the racial stereotyping as their parents and grandparents