By Bre Thomas

Black Lives Matter is a modern civil rights movement that sheds a light on the social and political injustices and disparities against the African American community. The goal of Black Lives Matter is to restore justice and peace for black people, and by extension the rest of humanity. They also aim to hold people accountable for their actions, and to make note of the importance of both truth and integrity, as well as celebrating black people.

As a young black woman growing up in America, we are constantly being made aware that we are black, and being black is not necessarily a good thing. We are taught daily through media: Images on our phones, computers, and televisions that our blackness is something to hide. This has become an issue that demonstrates and promotes eurocentrism. Advocating for a mindset like that is damaging, especially to our children because they have to grow up in a world that tells them who they are is not good enough. Black Lives Matter is the social movement we desperately need to help us go against the status quo and fight to uplift the value in every person and culture.

Just like its people, Black Lives Matter is multidimensional, and has several agendas: To help celebrate, honor, and demand respect for black people. As a young person pursuing her college education, this movement has been helpful because Black Lives Matter supporters are raising my awareness about issues that have been plaguing the black community in America for a long time. Likewise, violence against African Americans by the police is not new, it’s simply that technology, cell phones, and communities on social media have made police brutality very obvious, forcing the reality of it into the consciousness of Americans daily.

Although my white friends will never know what it’s like to be black in America, having them be more aware of the struggle is a step toward becoming a society that values empathy over apathy. No longer are my black peers and I sounding like broken records when it comes to the double standards America places before us, in regards to social injustices and racial discrimination. The myth that racism is dead has been debunked by the pursuits of civil rights activists, humanitarians, and other groups of strong-minded and educated leaders who call attention to the restructuring and reformatting of old systems that still oppress us.

The United States of America’s Declaration of Independence states that all of us are created equal and endowed with certain unalienable rights, including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Our government should be responsible, protect us and uphold these values. America prides itself on embracing individualism, equality, and freedom, but it seems as though mass liberation is only applied to white people. For decades now, black people and other minority groups have been pushed to the back burners of the United States Judicial System, and have been denied equal opportunity, privilege, and respect at the table of jubilation.

In a world where Black Lives Matter, and by extension the rest of humanity, I imagine a future for black people and people of color that is full of bright and promising expectations. Racial discrimination will no longer be prominent, and we can achieve the same amount of success as our white peers while not having to be concerned with not getting the same opportunities, like job offers. Americans will be seen as equal, because it is written in our constitution and we will come to realize we are not all that much different from each other. Government officials will not feel threatened because they will view us as valuable and irreplaceable. Black Lives Matter is helping a growing cultural revision, allowing black people to realize their worth, and make a statement in a society that tries to ignore our presence.