What is your Interpretation of the Slogan "Black Lives Matter"?

Seems like a loaded topic, sadly.

The Jewish group I work with as a lay leader for the military has a joint mission, serving people who are incarcerated. In that work, I've met a disproportionate number of young black men who were sent up for lengthy periods of time--sentences that simply aren't doled out as often for white offenders convicted of the same crimes. For those who mention black on black violence, I think it exists on the same continuum as the disproportionate levels of poverty and white on black violence.

Someone also mentioned abortion, but I have to point out that the CDC statistics, since they started collecting them, do not show a community disproportionately aborting their children as compared to other racial demographics, so I urge anyone who would say so to stop referencing bogus facts.

In other words, though, "black lives matter" isn't just about black lives coming to an end, but the aggregate quality of life for blacks in America. Outside of the Guard, I work as a manager in a STEM field where less than one percent of students in university and workers in the field are black. I ask myself, "why?" and what role does the genuine lack of access to these fields play in the success or lack thereof of black citizens?

I don't believe it to be a matter of deliberate exclusion. I think we can say that without it being an indicator of white racism, having to feel white guilt, or talking about white privilege. I want to see our black community elevated out of whatever problems, so that there's not even a shadow of the doubt, to the point where "black lives matter" would be as absurd as "Irish lives matter" in this nation. Right now I'm not sure it's as absurd or racist as some would believe.

Everyone matters.

To add my perspective to this, I think that those of who have served share a different bond which makes us more color blind than those who have not.

We are all brothers and sisters of arms and I think that makes it more difficult for us to understand why some of this goes on at all.

It sounds like we are trying to make other races and cultures view us as human beings yet we kill, destroy and poison our own people. We have been programmed to self-destruct and the instruments to seek out this final end have been placed in our hands, which we have gladly picked up and are using to the delight and amusement of the whole world to witness.

An attempt to educate all that although you are looking at a Black person, that person is a human being who's only difference is the color of their skin.

I think the slogan is a response to a perception by mainly black folks who feel like their lives matter less than whites. Personally, I feel it is a bit racist. All lives matter. And I don't apologize for saying that. I infer that from the slogan it means that white lives don't matter, or at least don't matter as much as black lives. I mean no offense by my comments.

(THIS IS MY OPINION, EVERYONE IS ENTITLED TO THEIR OWN OPINION)

Ok to me this is reverse racism. But also true. Black Lives do mattter. But so do White, yellow, green, purple or blue. Lives matter, period. The slogan is a strong statement. It calls attention to the fact the people believe that they are being mistreated and abused/kill becuase of their race. However slower(stupid) people are misusing this movement and hurting it with acts of violence and stupidity. However stupid people are in every movement or belief.
In the world of thinned skined people where they beleive their views should be protected by the government and their views shouldn't have open opposition people are literally forcing people to stop socializing out of fear that they can be punished for having an opinion or belief. I say it is a stupid slogan. Black lives do matter but so do every life. Preach lives matter. Lets see people care about their neighbor. Lets see people not force their opinion of not having a belief on others. This is a totally unorganized thought but it's just stupid.

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
-John 15:13

Black lives matter, Irish Lives matter, Native American Lives, damn Cecil's live matter, Rhonda Rousey opponents lives matter, Palestinian lives matter, Israeli lives matter. Anyone who thinks lives don't matter is a fool IMHO. The problem I have is blaming others for your plight, or allowing yourself to be held back.

It's a way to bring focus on the issue of excessive police over reactions that result in black Americans being killed in otherwise none lethal situations when encountering police officers. It does not however bring focus on excessive black on black violence which is the far larger problem in America. Since July 4 two young men were shot to death in my hometown, a very small city and several wounded with many more shootings happening on a daily basis. Mostly gang and drug related. The families are really suffering. It's very sad and dangerous.

Well SPC Andrew Griffin, I don't understand it really - it seems selfish to me. What would you think if I held up a sign that says "my life matters"? - well, of course! - don't ALL lives matter? If so, why single out any particular group? To me, that seems selfish and acts to divide - not unite people - all people. So what is YOUR interpretation? - and why are you asking the question?

Over the past year or so the United States has slipped back into another race war. However, this war is being waged through the media and social media. I have seen many people on Facebook post videos, news stories, and pictures of racial violence and such. Black people will post things about white cops abusing their authority or being excessively violent towards black people. White people post things about black people attacking other people while their friends stand around a record it laughing and cheering them on or black on black violence. You see new stories that say "White Cop Shoots Unarmed Black Man" or "Black Thugs Attack White Couple And Beat Them To Death".

The truly sick part of it all is that it is the media that sensationalizes these stories in order to gain society's attention. If the headline read "Cop Shoots Unarmed Man" then people may actually stop to think about both sides of the story. Was the Cop defending his or her self? Was the unarmed man a victim? What happened that lead to this man being shot? Instead we read White kills Black or Black kills White and immediately jump to the conclusion that the entire situation was based on race.

What the media doesn't want us to realize is that regardless of color, we are all fighting towards the same goal to end racism completely. The problem is that we as a society are fighting against ourselves and tarnishing our own cause. Do these acts of racial violence happen in our country? Or course they do. Where do you think the video footage comes from. The solution is to stop posting group blame. Are there dirty cops in America? Hell yes there are, but that doesn't mean all cops are dirty. Are there thugs and racists wastes of life of ALL colors in America? Hell yes there are, but that doesn't mean all people of that color are thugs. I saw a picture on Facebook that was taken in a courtroom. The Judge, Attorney, and the Accused were all black men. The word on that picture were "We all choose our own place in life". You could three men of ANY color and put them in that picture and it would still be true as can be. We all need to open our eyes and see that we are tearing this country apart from the inside out and if it doesn't stop before long then we are all going to become victims of this war.