'All Lives Matter' rose as a hashtag and slogan to undermine the Black Lives Matter movement in 2014. It does not exist as a formal group or network.
Problems and Purpose
All Lives Matter originated as a counter to the Black Lives Matter movement. The slogan suggests that ‘Black Lives Matter’ is a divisive statement implying that ‘only Black Lives Matter’. However, this premise has been widely criticized on the basis that all lives do not matter until Black lives also matter [1], the justification for Black lives matter being that Black people are disproportionately the victims of police brutality and systemic oppression and discrimination [2].
The aims of the All Lives Matter slogan has thus been critiqued as a form of racial dismissal or racial color-blindness which denies the structural nature and reality of racism under a veil of inclusivity [3].
Background History and Context
All Lives Matter began to appear at almost the same time as Black Lives Matter on social media following the police killings of Michael Brown and Eric Garner in the US. As Black Lives Matter began to gain momentum and publicity, All Lives Matter was used as a rebuke to counter the perceived claims of Black Lives Matter, that is, the (mis)understanding of BLM as ‘black lives matter more’ or ‘only black lives matter’.
Organizing, Funding, and Supporting Entities
All Lives Matter seems to exist primarily as a hashtag and slogan, and does not have a website or function as a social movement. It has received support from some prominent individuals in the US, including politicians from both Republican and Democrat parties at various points in time [4].
Participant Recruitment and Selection
Participants who use the slogan are self-selecting.
Methods and Tools Used
What Went On: Process, Interaction, and Participation
At the time of writing (September 2020), it was difficult to find examples of specific protests organized by or in the name of All Lives Matter, although it has been heard as a chant at various rallies and protests. However, its use on social media has been studied. A qualitative analysis of the use of both #AllLivesMatter and #BlackLivesMatter in 2014 found that users of the former
generally centered on a color-blind politic, accusing #BlackLivesMatter protesters of being exclusive and privileging Black lives over any other lives. This group of social media users at times made explicitly racist claims, such as implying that Black men are disrespectful and dangerous, while masking their objection to #BlackLivesMatter in color-blind terms.
Whilst this initially resulted in a backlash from BLM activists, in the following weeks it appeared that activists reduced their engagement on Twitter with the All Lives Matter hashtag, whilst others conflated the two to draw attention towards upcoming protests instead [5].
Influence, Outcomes, and Effects
Some notable individuals have used the phrase such as Hillary Clinton in 2015, and Vice President Mike Pence in 2020, in varying contexts. During one of Trump’s election rallies in September 2020, it was briefly chanted by the crowd.
The backlash and criticism of All Lives Matter has been significant, with a number of scholars, celebrities, politicians and other prominent figures coming forward to denounce its use and explain why it is problematic.
Analysis and Lessons Learned
All Lives Matter has been critiqued on a number of grounds. Firstly, it presents a misunderstanding of ‘Black Lives Matter’. Black Lives Matter is not saying that other lives do not matter, but rather that Black lives matter, as well, so it misinterprets the original premise [6] and creates a false dichotomy that if Black lives matter, other lives cannot [7]. Secondly, the phrase itself is disingenuous since all lives cannot matter until Black lives also matter. In addition, the sentiment itself is disingenuous because “in White-dominated societies, nearly any demand for equality by people of colour is met by a backlash couched in terms of White victimhood” [8]. In other words, the underlying sentiment is more about White lives rather than all lives. Thirdly, ‘All Lives Matter’ employs a color-blind rhetoric that denies and erases the realities of racial inequality [9]. It attempts to shift discourse and attention away from the historical and contemporary discriminations faced by Black communities, thus depoliticizing BLM and associated movements [10] and reducing racism to individual acts [11].
See Also
References
[1] Agozino, B. (2018). Black Lives Matter otherwise all lives do not matter. African Journal of Criminology and Justice Studies, 11(1), p1-11. Available at:
https://www.umes.edu/uploadedFiles/_WEBSITES/AJCJS/Content/AJCJS%20VOL11.%20Agozino.pdf (Accessed 17 September 2020)
[2] Ibid.
[3] Goldberg, D. (2016) Why “Black Lives Matter” Because All Lives Don’t Matter in America. Huffpost, 25 September. Available at: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/why-black-lives-matter_b_8191424?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9lbi53aWtpcGVkaWEub3JnLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAFcM9fahd44H9L8E2YdeXAEM6hzr2AmepsrVD6jM5P4ReSz9cm0UzlPpJ9XBnBlZF0Id_NRF5z-5chxlvvURdBJhJUvIi04ibgIUBjRocgRjuujBwtnYT9CWwujbBK2zD2XZUBAU-j7eQEHHRtbJnvzekYPgzHy4l3gD_2sOtS3W (Accessed on 17 September 2020)
[4] Wikipedia (2020) All Lives Matter. Available at:
https:/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Lives_Matter#cite_note-6 (Accessed on 17 September 2020).
[5] Carney, N. (2016). All Lives Matter, but so Does Race: Black Lives Matter and the Evolving Role of Social Media. Humanity & Society OnlineFirst, published on April 13, 2016. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nikita_Carney/publication/301310750_All_Lives_Matter_but_so_Does_Race_Black_Lives_Matter_and_the_Evolving_Role_of_Social_Media/links/597f7b53458515687b4ba817/All-Lives-Matter-but-so-Does-Race-Black-Lives-Matter-and-the-Evolving-Role-of-Social-Media.pdf (Accessed 17 September 2020)
[6] Yancy, G. and Butler, J. (2015). What's Wrong with 'All Lives Matter'? The New York Times, 12 January. Available at: https://shifter-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Whats-Wrong-With-All-Lives-Matter.pdf (Accessed on 17 September 2020).
[7] Kluger, J. (2016). Enough already with 'All Lives Matter'. Time Magazine, 11 July. Available at: https://time.com/4400811/all-lives-matter/ (Accessed 17 September 2020)
[8] Smith, D. (2017) The backlash against Black Lives Matter is just more evidence of injustice. The Conversation. Available at: https://theconversation.com/the-backlash-against-black-lives-matter-is-just-more-evidence-of-injustice-85587 (Accessed 17 September 2020).
[9] Goldberg, D. (2016) Why “Black Lives Matter” Because All Lives Don’t Matter in America. Huffpost, 25 September. Available at: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/why-black-lives-matter_b_8191424?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9lbi53aWtpcGVkaWEub3JnLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAFcM9fahd44H9L8E2YdeXAEM6hzr2AmepsrVD6jM5P4ReSz9cm0UzlPpJ9XBnBlZF0Id_NRF5z-5chxlvvURdBJhJUvIi04ibgIUBjRocgRjuujBwtnYT9CWwujbBK2zD2XZUBAU-j7eQEHHRtbJnvzekYPgzHy4l3gD_2sOtS3W (Accessed on 17 September 2020)
[10] Carney, N. (2016). All Lives Matter, but so Does Race: Black Lives Matter and the Evolving Role of Social Media. Humanity & Society OnlineFirst, published on April 13, 2016. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nikita_Carney/publication/301310750_All_Lives_Matter_but_so_Does_Race_Black_Lives_Matter_and_the_Evolving_Role_of_Social_Media/links/597f7b53458515687b4ba817/All-Lives-Matter-but-so-Does-Race-Black-Lives-Matter-and-the-Evolving-Role-of-Social-Media.pdf (Accessed 17 September 2020)
[11] https://www.thefeministwire.com/2014/10/blacklivesmatter-2/