With the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis not so long ago, solidarity and support have arisen around the world with the #BlackLivesMatter, with social media forming the playground of sharing resources and arguments to teach us all to listen a little more.
Now, protests around the world have erupted to fight racism, and promote the solidarity of black lives, so many who are victims of police brutality and all who are affected by institutionalised racism, in even the most liberal of societies.
Yet, still, there seem to be far too many voices shouting from the side lines: ‘All Lives Matter’. And oh, how wrong they are. Perhaps they’re merely ignorant, perhaps they’re just attention seeking, but most definitely, they are racist.
The phrase ‘black lives matter’ is simply highlighting the inferior position of black people in a society they have helped to build that has punished them. They are suffering at the hands of others, and therefore, at this moment in our clearly not-so-progressive society, black lives do matter. This has nothing to deny that all lives matter, but it’s not all lives that need help.
When George Floyd has been murdered on the streets by four police officers, when Ahmaud Arbery was just going for a jog before his life was taken from him, and when Willie Simmons is still suffering a sentence far too harsh for the crime, it’s not all lives that need help. This is what the black lives movement is about, and a simple ‘misunderstanding’ of the claim all lives matter is actually a refusal to accept the oppression and institutionalised and systemic racism present in our society.
If all lives did matter, we wouldn’t be protesting. If all lives mattered there would be no need for the movement. And if all lives mattered your Instagram feed wouldn’t have been taken over by little black squares a few days ago.
While #BlackoutTuesday did show the vast majority (if not all) of those I follow on Instagram supported the movement, what worried me is how performative this ‘challenge’ was. Posting a black Insta did show solidarity, it did stand with the movement, but it did also take away from the education and resources that were previously being shared.
The guides, book recommendations, petitions to sign, organisations to donate to, had all been replaced by a (dare I say it) performative image, where so many who had nothing to vocalise before, simply thought one black picture was enough. And it just isn’t.
Don’t read me wrong. I think the solidarity of #BlackoutTuesday is powerful and uniting. But I also think we should worry about it being regressive.
One day simply isn’t enough to show solidarity. We should be expressing that always. And more importantly the one black image many shared without an informative caption was far less impactful than the guides and graphics previously shared.
Adhering to the status-quo and sharing a black image is not the same as taking time to understand and educate yourself on important matters. It’s not the same as following links to highly researched and well resourced documents, petitions and websites. It’s simply the bare minimum.
For real solidarity, and for a real change, we need to be onboard with sharing more resources, sharing more informed, helpful information, and being prepared to go far beyond than one theatrical image.
Muting yourself as a sign of solidarity is well meaning, but it is simply not enough. Many took this as a time to silence their feeds from trivial posts of food or fashion. Whilst others just silenced themselves as part of a trend.
What didn’t need to happen was a silence on the issues that matter the most. We need to continue the support for the Black Lives Matter movement through vocalising and educating ourselves and others. If you think one black image is enough, then your privilege is shining through, because it will never be enough.
Meghna Amin
Featured image courtesy of Victoria Pickering.