Black lives matter
Both the whites and the blacks have tirelessly worked in all fields to realize present-day America. Initially, America was characterized by various political, social and economic problems which majority of them were passed from the colonial period. The whites and the blacks fought together to liberate their country from all the injustices perpetrated by the British colonists. However, everything turned against the wishes of the black because a few years after independence, their contribution towards American liberation had been forgotten. Most celebrations organized to commemorate American liberation did not recognize the efforts of the people of colour towards the country’s independence. Despite being free from the colonial rule, they remained under the chains of their fellow citizens. Their contribution in political, economic, scientific and technology fields remained unrecognized for many years. They were subjected to all forms of maltreatment such as discrimination in all fields such as employment, education and politics. Such unfairness hardened the blacks’ and other disadvantaged groups’ lives, and this necessitated their second liberation journey which has enhanced the quality of life for everyone in America regardless of their colour, nationality, ethnicity or political affiliations. Therefore, considering the immense contributions by the blacks towards achieving a better America, and guided by the religious teachings about the dignity of human life, it is worth noting that black lives matter.
African Americans found their way into America during the trans-Atlantic trade when some of them were abducted and sold in America as slaves. The men slaves were forced to provide cheap labour in the plantation farms owned by the whites, whereas the women slaves provided compulsorily assisted in cooking and other house chores. Even though they worked hard to please their masters, they never got paid for their services. Besides this, the working environment was not conducive since they could work in extreme weather conditions without the requirements. For instance, they could work under icy weather conditions without heavy clothes and shoes. Also, they could work even when they were sick, thus risking their lives. At other times, the slaves were severely punished for minor mistakes, consequently leading to death. Socially, they were segregated because they were not allowed to interact with the whites. Their children, too, were prohibited from playing with those of the whites, and even they were not allowed to attend the same schools. Quality health services were only availed to the whites since to the slaves; it was a privilege to access such services.
The blacks experienced a lot of hardships because of discrimination in all fields, such as education, employment, and politics. Discrimination, particularly in the south, was based on race, gender, ethnicity and nationality, and it forced many people to move to the north to try their luck. However, the north was not secure for the blacks because most people like Emmett Till lost their lives to racism. The death of this boy has immensely contributed to the fight against racism in America in various ways.
Social injustices towards the blacks did not stop with the abolition with slavery but even continues to pose major challenges in present-day America. Even though discrimination is not openly expressed in America, it is deeply rooted in the social, political and economic systems. The law enforcement agencies are some of the areas characterized by such social injustices despite the many reforms made to improve the sector service delivery. Police brutality on African Americans has been there since colonialism, and it remains a major challenge in enhancing equity and equality among the Americans. People like Rodney King, Breonna Taylor Rayshard Brooks, and Ahmaud Arbery were subjected to police brutality due to their race. The most recent case of police brutality was the killing of George Floyd who suffocated at the hands of white police officers. The killing of these people has had a great impact on society’s response to police brutality based on race. Most human rights activists have been utilizing these particular incidences to enhance their campaigns.
Blacks are human beings, and they have a right to live and enjoy life like any other person. Religiously, black people are persons with dignity which should be upheld. From a religious perspective, God created all human beings in his own image, and thus none has greater value than the other. Religious teachings hold that God loves everyone regardless of their status, race, gender or ethnicity. Some religious books such as the Bible has several quotes in support of this statement which can be found in the books of Genesis and Luke. Therefore, when the inefficiency and ineffectiveness undervalue black lives in the social and political systems, human dignity is negatively affected (Schuster et al. 45). Going by the religious teachings, the human race should not be used to divide people but should be viewed as a way of fulfilling Gods love to all people. People should be treated with dignity even if they are criminals because that is what is provided in God’s law. All races are vital because none can flourish when the other’s value is degrading. Therefore, for America to realize its full development potential, it must ensure that value of the black lives is enhanced by all means possible.
Next, black people should be treated with respect because, without them, scientific and technological knowledge would not be complete with supporting the current day life. The blacks have immensely contributed to the enhancement of knowledge through science and technological advancements. Blacks are known for their creativity and innovativeness in science and technological fields. Concerning science, the black scientist has invented formulas that are useful in various fields such as physics, biology, math (Schuster et al. 45). Also, they have been at the forefront of making medical innovations that aid in improving health knowledge which promotes quality services in this particular area. For instance, Percy Lavon Julian made important contributions in the medical field by inventing medicinal products such as physostigmine, and human hormones such as steroids, progesterone and testosterone. His work set a strong foundation for other chemists across the world. Most influential scientific innovations in agriculture are connected with the black people like George Washington Carver, who invented alternative crops to cotton to promote nutrition among the peasant families. Through his 44 bulletins containing 105 food recipes using peanuts, he demonstrated to people how modification of single agricultural produce could simplify human life by eliminating hunger. He promoted other 100 products from peanuts by providing marketing through his companies. Blacks’ creativity has also been influential in the engineering field as demonstrated by Lonnie George Johnson, who invented the Super Soaker water gun, which was the best selling in the US in 1991 and 1992. The invention generated sales of over $200 million, thus becoming the best-selling toy in America. Other prominent black inventors include Amos, Harold, Andrews, James, J, Alexander, Archie, Bailey, Banyaga and Augustin.
Additionally, the blacks have significantly helped in the reduction of political and social injustices which did affect not only the blacks but also some sections of the whites. After independence, the political and social systems in America were inefficient and ineffective to address most of the problems affecting American society. Various activists, many of which were blacks, took it as their personal responsibility to advocate for the abolition of most of the issues that undermined human dignity. During this time, society was faced with political and social inequalities because the available systems violated most human rights to that effect. Since then, the blacks have been instrumental in effecting political and legal changes in America to make America a better place to live (Cook &Lisa 90). Some of the notable changes include the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 196. On top of these changes, most of them risked their lives in the process of fighting for the protection of human rights. A considerable number of them pointed out problems before they escalated into crises to affect the whole American society. For example, Malcolm X, in his speech that he delivered in 1964, did not only show concern for the challenges affecting the blacks but also the whites. Others like Fannie Luo Hamer, Assata Shakur and Martin Luther King Jr. stood firm in the fight against inequality despite the many challenges they faced. Luther’s act of challenging the American leadership for imperialism and tyranny in his 1967 speech demonstrates his bravery.
Furthermore, black lives matter because they have helped in dealing with economic instabilities. Economic posterity in America an ongoing process that started many years ago with many participants on board. Some of the influential economists in the history of America are the blacks who despite being underrated for their contribution to economic development; they introduced and recommended better economic policies to address economic problems. Since discrimination in America affects all the aspects of development, economically, the country has not been spared. Even though the white economists discriminated them, they did not shy away from advising on ways of enhancing economic wellbeing (Cook &Lisa 90). Guided by their knowledge and experience, they introduced new concepts that did affect not only the economic environment but also the political progression. An example of the important figures in economics in the United States since 1920 include Sadie T.M. Alexander, Phyllis Ann Wallace, Abraham Lincoln Harris, Peter Q. Blair and Kristen Broady, among many others. Most of these economists, besides many introduced models that were and are still useful in solving economic crises that affect everyone in the country regardless of their colour, gender or nationality.
Last, without the blacks, America could be out of existence because they could have lost in their war for independence. The blacks involved in the fight for American liberation helped the American troops in winning the war against the British colonist. Good examples of frontline soldiers who were awarded for their bravery in the War include Salem Poor and Peter Salem (Rogoway & Tyler 56). Over 9000 blacks volunteered to work with the continental army to liberate America from colonialism. Most of them sacrificed much time than the white soldiers in the fight for freedom because they spend more time in the battle their white counterparts. Their contribution amounted to more than a quarter of the total army efforts. Countless black soldiers lost their lives in the battle, thus demonstrating bravery and patriotism. Despite being directly involved in the war for American independence, the black has been treated as second rate citizens in their country whose lives are worthless. In this regard, they should be given equal opportunities like the whites because they contributed a lot to the establishment of the nation.
However, the process of advocating for black life should be based on a moral basis that does not compromise other people’s lives. Much as the blacks need to be empowered, the processes involved should not overlook other important factors that contribute to the prosperity of a country. First, the fight for equality and inclusivity should not backlash the many achievements that have been realized over the years (Boucher et al. 40). In other words, it should not disrupt the social order of the community. The fact that it is their right to be treated fairly, they should be responsible for any of their actions that are against the set rules and regulations. Similarly, this minority group should not sit and wait to be given equality, but they should contribute to the same (Wilkins et al. 78). They should ensure that they meet the necessary criteria before expecting to be granted their wishes. For instance, if it is about equal distribution of employment opportunities, everyone should meet the job requirements.
Additionally, for black lives to matter, blacks should stop perpetrating crimes that affect their fellow African American people. In the south African American criminals are terminating innocent lives of children and women. It is thus difficult to explain that black lives are important because some sections of the blacks contribute to lowering the people’s dignity.
Moreover, the campaign on black lives matter is against equity and equality because blacks are not the only inhabitants of America. In this regard, for the campaign to promote equality, it should advocate for all lives without stating the race. The black lives campaign can be accused of the escalation in crime levels in America.
Generally, considering the immense contributions by the blacks towards achieving a better America, and guided by the religious teachings about the dignity of human life, it is worth noting that black lives matter:
- Black lives are important because religiously, they are persons with dignity which should be upheld.
- Black people should be treated with respect because, without them, scientific and technological knowledge would not be complete with supporting the current day life.
- The blacks have significantly helped in the reduction of political and social injustices which did affect not only the blacks but also some sections of the whites.
- Black lives matter because they have helped in dealing with economic instabilities.
- Without blacks, America could be out of existence because they could have lost in their war for independence.
However, the process of advocating for black life should be based on a moral basis that does not compromise other people’s lives. The fight for equality inclusivity should not backlash the many achievements that have been realized over the years. Similarly, the black should not sit and wait to be given equality, but they should contribute towards the same.
Works cited
Boucher, Bradley A., and Marie Chisholm-Burns. “Black Lives DO Matter.” American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education (2020).
Cook, Lisa D. (June 1, 2014). “Violence and economic activity: evidence from African American patents, 1870–1940”. Journal of Economic Growth. 19 (2): 221–257. doi:10.1007/s10887-014-9102-z. ISSN 1573-7020. S2CID 153971489.
Matter, Black Lives. “Black lives matter.” Accessed September 1 (2020).
Rogoway, Tyler (July 4, 2014). “The Revolutionary War: By The Numbers”. Foxtrot Alpha. Jalopnik. Retrieved November 16, 2018. 80,000 militia and Continental Army soldiers served at the height of the war
Schuster, Mark A., Artem Osherov, and Paul J. Chung. “Why Counting Black Lives Matters—The 2020 Census.” New England Journal of Medicine 383.9 (2020): e60.
Wilkins, Denise J., Andrew G. Livingstone, and Mark Levine. “Whose tweets? The rhetorical functions of social media use in developing the Black Lives Matter movement.” British Journal of Social Psychology 58.4 (2019): 786-805.