Stephen Smith, Piers Morgan Want You to Know #AllLivesMatter
ESPN commentator Stephen Smith and former CNN talker Piers Morgan agree: #alllivematter.
Whether you find this a controversial statement depends on your view of #BlackLivesMatter, both the hashtag and the movement that birthed it, which seeks to highlight systemic violence against African Americans. To this movement, “all lives matter” is an inherent rebuke, as white people already have the protection of law, cultural tradition, and demography; there’s no question of white lives mattering, but of that sanctity being extended toward African Americans.
Democratic presidential candidate Martin O’Malley bisected this scrum last weekend when he replied to a Black Lives Matter protest by saying “all lives matter,” for which he later apologized. This confused Smith:
Where is all the noise about #BlackLivesMatter when black folks are killing black folks?
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) July 21, 2015
There's nothing wrong when a presidential candidate says "All lives Matter"!
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) July 21, 2015
I'm a black man. Of course I know #BlackLivesMatter. You can't boo a presidential candidate just b/c he says "all lives matter".
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) July 21, 2015
Piers Morgan piggybacked onto a tweet from CNN’s Marc Lamont Hill to make much the same sentiment:
ALL lives matter. > RT @marclamonthill ALL black lives matter.
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) July 21, 2015
Hill, a superb debater, challenged Morgan:
Why does this need to be said, Piers? Has the legitimacy of White lives ever been in in dispute? https://t.co/t2QaCgjgLv
— Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill) July 21, 2015
But that's not the context, my friend. It's a response to systematic and systemic attacks on Black life. https://t.co/0tB3W1e78J
— Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill) July 21, 2015
Affirming Black life doesn't negate others. But in a world that denies black life, it's important to highlight. https://t.co/0tB3W1e78J
— Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill) July 21, 2015
Of course I do. This isn't about u being racist.It's about not seeing how "all lives Matter" feeds white supremacy. https://t.co/ySGMRmKv7f
— Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill) July 21, 2015
Indeed. And we should address that with urgency. But not by co-opting and ultimately delegitimizing THIS movement. https://t.co/wiXFSDvU5m
— Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill) July 21, 2015
As with most things, Allison Kilkenny is worth reading on this:
We know white lives matter. Every institution in the country agrees. Problem: same institutions treat black lives like they don't matter
— Allison Kilkenny (@allisonkilkenny) July 21, 2015
[Image via screengrab]
