On Friday, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) announced that the organization will designate the White Lives Movement as a hate group. Their decision was made nearly a week after armed protesters sporting “White Lives Matter” signs stood outside the Advancement of Colored People’s (ACP) office in Houston.
Many members of White Lives Matter are reported to be derived from other established white supremacist groups, such as the Aryan Renaissance Society (ARS) and the United Aryan Front (UAF).
More damaging is how the likely leader of the White Lives Matter Movement is 40-year-old Rebecca Barnette. Barnette, the vice president of the women’s division of the skinhead group Aryan Strikeforce has used social media to spread fearful messages about the disintegration of the white race such as:
https://twitter.com/RebeccaNSMWD/status/753875937339531264
It is easy to look down on people like Rebecca Barnette and say, “At least, I’m not like her.” Their revulsion makes them easy targets, as they march with their uniforms of hate. Instead, we put on airs and mock those who openly base their importance on the color of their skin.
It is easy to see why the SPLC would label the White Lives Matter movement as a hate group. But what happens when we dance too close to the line of racism with vague sentiments of inclusiveness?
Members of White Lives Matter use racist chants and flags of hate to voice their perceived superiority. While symbols of oppression paint the banality of their skin color with shades of hate, other methods of oppression can take on a more sophisticated tone.
Instead of attempting to relate, we wash over their concerns with trifling catchphrases.
We blur our intentions, conning ourselves into believing such wholesale declarations like #AllLivesMatter is somehow less racist, or better captures the true complexion on America. Sadly, such blanket statements are just another way of saying know your place.
Unfortunately, we turn an attempt of understanding into a game of choosing sides. I can’t describe what it is like to be a Black person in America. My skin color blends into the banality of the crowd, flowing unnoticed in a blur of everyday life.
No one sees my color as a shade of mistrust. It doesn’t cause people to roll up their windows and move out to the ordinary world of picket fences and gated communities. I empathize, but I don’t know what it feels like to evoke fear because of the color of my skin.
Listening to members of Black Lives Matter does not mean I am turning my back on the men and women in blue, nor am I denouncing being white.
Sadly, this idea of walking with all colors gets lost in the fear of alienating your color. Somehow, we convince ourselves that supporting Black Lives Matter is questioning whether all lives matter. In an attempt to be inclusive we are making ourselves the opposition to equality.
The White Lives Matter movement doesn’t try to hide their message with vague sayings. They aren’t looking for solidarity.
Unfortunately, using more sophisticated language doesn’t make racism any less overt. It is easy to spot members of White Lives Matter, as they elect to stand alone in an air of superiority.
Let’s not stand too close with vague statements of inclusiveness. Instead, let’s learn how to respect one group while listening to the other.
Watch this video for information about a recent White Lives Matter protest:
Featured Image: Screenshot Via YouTube Video.
