My husband shared a webpage this morning that surprised us both. A page from his alma mater’s website stated, as a headline: “Solidarity with Black Lives Matter.” It went on to state “First and foremost, Black Lives Matter. We stand in solidarity.”

This comes from a university that has many students of multiple races. Black lives matter, before any other lives.

Is this not the very essence of racism? To place one race above all others? To value one race, first and foremost, above all others?

I don’t know what disgusts me more: Is it the fact that a public university stands with an organization that is dedicated to “keep dismantling the organizing principle of this society?” (BLM co-founder Alicia Garza, Maine Beacon, 6/28/19). (what does “stand with” really mean, anyway? You stand next to them? You make donations? You riot protest with them? Or you just say something because…well, you want to say something?)

First and foremost, all lives matter. There are those who might find my comment racist, “code,” or “dogwhistle” or some other insanity. But all lives do matter. We are all made in the image of our Creator, and therefore, all lives matter. Have we made mistakes as a society, as a country? Of course. And the greatness that is America means that we learn from those mistakes and try to right them. In a free society, we can do that.

To state that one race, first and foremost, is above all others goes against our belief in justice, equality, and freedom. It goes against all Christian beliefs and ethics. It goes against the beliefs of millions of non-Christians as well.

The mistake that many make is to assume that BLM is merely a movement to remind us that “yes, black lives matter!” And they DO matter; that should go without saying (yet I say it here to clarify). But the organization Black Lives Matter is founded by those drenched in Marxism and steeped in communist philosophy. Their goal is not to ensure equal opportunity and equal representation for anyone; it is to crush America and diminish other races. If you doubt that, you slept through much of 2020 and were watching Hallmark movies (or CNN, or MSNBC) instead of what was really happening as 140 American cities saw incredible damage, riots, fires and destruction at the hands of Antifa and BLM last year. Small businesses (owned by people of many races) were destroyed, all in the name of “dismantling the organizing principles of society” and in some warped idea of “justice.” Where is the justice for those who lost their businesses, their livelihoods?

I cannot reconcile a movement like this with Christianity. It makes no sense. I have a very hard time reconciling ULL’s (University of Louisiana, Lafayette) viewpoint on this. My husband only saw this today (on the English department page) because a friend sent it to him. A similar statement appears on the university’s history blog in June, 2020, so this isn’t exactly news – but it was news to us. We are saddened, as many of our family attended UL. There is a request for a donation on the kitchen counter. Or…there was one. It’s been filed in an appropriate place; we don’t support this type of thing.

First and foremost. Above all other lives, black lives matter the most. Everyone else – everyone – is a second class citizen. If that’s not what you meant, perhaps you should reword it. After all, you’re English majors…right?