Breanna Stewart
MC Contributor/Staff Writer
While race relations in America have been a polarizing subject in the mainstream media for more than a year, Black Lives Matter, an activist movement which campaigns against police brutality in the United States, has come under opposition from actor Michael B. Jordan.
With its presence being felt in nearly every medium of press, Black Lives Matter’s biggest impact is felt online, with the hashtag, #BlackLivesMatter, being a dominate, year-round trending topic on social media websites, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
In the wake of what is being called by the New York Times as “the 21st century’s Civil Rights Movement,” there has been a significant amount of backlash against the grassroots organization.
Actor Michael B. Jordan, best known for his roles in “Fruitvale Station and “Fantastic Four”, recently posted on his personal Snapchat account, that all lives mattered, with the statement upsetting many of his African-American supporters.
Proponents of the All Lives Matter movement, which began as the aftereffects of the Black Lives Matter wave of influence, promote racial tolerance, with the belief that the lives of everyone, not just those of African-Americans.
Civil Rights activists, however, have not only deemed All Lives Matter as offensive to Black Lives Matter, but have also labeled the new group as both intolerant and dismissive to the plight of blacks in America, according to Black Lives Matter advocate, Julius Jones.
Criticism of Jordan from within the African-American community quickly followed, and was once again, largely felt on social media. Black Twitter, a cultural identity found within the Twitter social networking site, was quick to denounce Jordan and called for an immediate apology for his statement.
While Jordan, 28, did issue a public apology to Essence Magazine a few days later, explaining his position of why all lives should matter, La’Marsha Dwy, a junior social work major a from Brandon, Miss., feels Jordan should have used his celebrity to promote awareness for the Black Lives Matter syndicate instead.
“For him to be a young black male,” Dwy said. “He should have geared his opinion more towards the Black Lives Matter movement versus All Lives Matter.”
La’Corey Henderson believes that while all lives do matter, the promotion of Black Lives Matter should be a critical discussion point for celebrities of all races, not just those of African-American lineage.
“I get why he’s saying that all lives matter. However, we’re talking about black lives. That’s the focus. You don’t even have to be black. You can be any color. Just get the message out there,” said Henderson, a sophomore graphic design major from Jackson, Miss.
Rickey Hill, chair of the political science department at Jackson State University, also believes that while all lives should matter, in lieu of the recent rise of police brutality against African-Americans, the All Lives Matter movement may only be a play on wordst.
“Generally speaking, all lives matter,” Hill said. “However, in this country, where you have a history of slavery, exploitation, oppression, and class domination, and you place that in historical context, black lives have not mattered.”
Hill also stated that with the prolonged discourse of racial inequality that has brought America to this point in history, those of differing viewpoints and opinions should not forget the fundamental premise behind Black Lives Matter movement.
“All Lives Matter versus Black Lives Matter, it’s still not going to wipe away the fact that this is a historical problem; this is nothing new. It is certainly important to make the point, however, that black lives matter, too,” said Hill.
