Black Lives Matter… Also

On June 16th 1976, hundreds of Black South African students were brutalized and shot dead by the police for protesting the forceful decree of Afrikaans language in schools.

Forty four years gone by, black youth are still protesting and retrospecting what their lives mean in the larger scheme of life. And, still to this date, the world hasn’t unanimously concluded on their verdict about whether or not Black Lives indeed matter as people. So, I was thinking, what if the Black Lives Matter slogan ended with the word “ALSO”? Would that be more exhaustive? Would that be less intimidating? When black youth rise up, on whatever continent in whichever dialect, in pursuit of their freedom, they are reminding the world that, “BLACK LIVES MATTER,” and are seeking EQUIVALENCE with other races, not SUPREMACY or DORMINANCE. But are continuously bombarded by people reminding them that they’re merely a subset of “ALL LIVES.” So, let me make it easier for us all. “BLACK LIVES MATTER… ALSO.” Black lives ALSO mattered in 1976, and they ALSO matter today. And on this June 16th 2020, on Youth Day in South Africa, may we never forget those brave young souls in Soweto who lifted their black voices, and perished from the radical idea that they matter…. ALSO.