Frequently Asked Questions.. unanswered questions can be directed to [email protected]
"Hands Up, Rise Up" by vulpesvulpesvulpes
Linocut Print |
Can I bring my own candles?Sure! We try to estimate how many people will arrive and have candles provided, however you are absolutely free to bring your own. Bring a friend too.
There are people missing from your timeline....We figured as much. This site, especially the Rest In Power page is growing every day as the list of unarmed POC and LBTQIA people killed tragically expands. It is difficult to recover every article and story. Please help us out! Our email is always open for submissions. Thank you for your diligence!
Can I protest if I am white? Can I 'whitewash' this movement?Everyone is welcome. The more people coming out and showing support the better. White presence is integral in bringing about change in issues that directly address racial privilege in this country. In short, no, the essence of the #BlackLivesMatter movement is not one that can be 'white washed'.
If you are looking for more information on where you stand as a white person in a movement geared towards POC there are articles on this exact issue linked [here], [here], [here] and [here] How many people comprise the QKC conglomerate?Currently there are less than five people that make up our organization. If you're interested in joining the movement tweet/ email us or approach us at the next vigil
Why Can't I say "All lives matter"? Isn't that 'reverse racism' to ignore white people killed by police?Reverse racism does not exist. In that racism is a vehicle of systematic oppression. The oppressors in this system hold racial privilege. People of color (POC) are disadvantaged in the system that is racism. Ergo, POC cannot be racist towards white people. .
The primary motive of this movement is to bring about change to disenfranchised groups. Indeed all lives matter, all lives have always mattered. However, the phrase 'all lives matter' rather plainly deters from the issue of unarmed, black, LGBTQIA lives that are given less value and respect in the eyes of a police state. It has become overwhelmingly clear that POC not only are targeted by police, but used as targets, seen as easier to shoot, and not given the same level of respect as white individuals who, even when actively threatening the lives of large groups like during school shootings, still somehow manage to be detained while alive, rather than shot on sight. Even in death, white people are afforded more humanity than black victims. The media doesn't seek to blame white people for their murders as they do for black people. There is often a substantial cry from the POC community that precipitates any type change. #BlackLivesMatter is a campaign that three queer black women have been forced to organize to bring about the change we hope to see in media representation of black victims and the policing of black lives. It is unfortunate that POC must work to garner empathy that white people are automatically afforded. |