"When we say Black Lives Matter, we are broadening the conversation around state violence to include all of the ways in which Black people are intentionally left powerless at the hands of the state. We are talking about the ways in which Black lives are deprived of our basic human rights and dignity."

from Rachael:

I'm a middle class, middle aged white woman with a white family who lives in a predominantly white, rural area in the midwest.

I can't tell you when I first noticed Black Lives Matter. For a long time, I chose not to notice. I went about my daily life of privilege assuming that I didn't "see color", believing the fact that I wasn't outwardly racist meant I wasn't biased. All of this is a testament to my whiteness and my privilege. I have a choice. I can choose not to notice.

I have come to realize that I was wrong.

There are so many things I didn't know, didn't ask, and didn't want to know about. Terrible things kept happening and people were hurting. I was finally seeing it. People have been hurting for so long, and it needs to stop. I have talked to mothers who fear for their children in ways that I have never had to fear for my own two daughters.

I decided that, however clumsy it felt, I would do what I could to be an ally and to, hopefully, use some of the privilege I enjoy to help others.

Read more of Rachael's story here.

from Sam:

I am black. My husband is white. My daughter is half white. Nearly half of my extended family is white. I receive conflicting responses, or even silence, when I talk to about issues that matter to me such as systemic racism, Black Lives Matter, body positivity and reproductive rights. It may seem contradictory that I am a pro-choice, Jesus-following feminist. Aren’t some of those ideologies conflicting?

I say no. What these ideologies have in common is the belief we are all important and are worthy of being treated respectfully. I care about life. All lives. Saying that Black Lives Matter does not negate this fact.

When I declare that Black Lives Matter, I am attempting to bring attention to the sad fact that society as a whole acts as though black lives don’t matter. I mean, everyone loves black culture, black music, black physical characteristics but, when push comes to shove, the actual lives of black people seem to be dispensable.

Statistically, “black communities have higher poverty rates, suffer from poorly funded schools and are more likely to be targeted by police.”

But isn’t education supposed to be the great equalizer? And don’t poor people choose to be poor? And, the police are in those communities because there’s so much crime there? But there’s more to it than just that. There are systemic issues that impact access to education. Lack of education plays a significant role in poverty rates. And, many times, crime is directly related to education and poverty. While high crime rates can be directly tied to poor education and poverty, one could also make an argument that increased police presence could result in higher crime rates simply because when you are constantly looking for something, you’re more likely to find it.

Definitely not simple.

Read more of Sam's story here.