This is a letter written in responce to John Blake article "Is BLM Blowing it?" In which he discusses how BLM is failing and also not needed.
Dear John Blake: In 2016 the awakening or rather creation of the Black Lives Matter Movement, there has been many in theory and opposition to the cause. When I read your article “Is Black Lives Matter blowing it?” there were a couple of inconsistencies and statements I couldn’t agree with. In your article you discussed some negative thoughts from the general public as well as your own thoughts. You first began your article with a quote from Johnetta Elzie a leader within he movement as he accounts the harsh reality some believe the Black Lives Matter Movement consist of. You state “Most of the folks in the movement are young and we're black so they assume we're uneducated and uninformed and we're just angry and in the streets," You go on to say that these individuals are doing a better job of describing the movement than those involved. This was one major issue I had with your article. As an African American male myself I’m surprised to see another African American show such disdain for the Black Lives Matter Movement. While I can understand your belief that some members of the Black Lives Matter Movement may have a violent or wrong approach to stating their beliefs. To outwardly express such disdain and to not understand the true meaning behind the movement seems rash. Black Lives Matters was a movement created in response to the police brutality and the racial injustice within our society in 2016. Racial Injustice has been an issue in our world for many years. With the surge of technology in our society, along came more instances and video footage of cases and instances of police brutality in our society. Tonya Mosley wrote an extensive article in which she intends to shed a light on racial injustice in schools. When discussing have she deals with Caucasian children she states “I have number 6 being a message for privileged white kids, especially white boys, is that they’ve been taught that they’re the most important — and it’s not their fault; they’ve been taught by society, they’ve been taught by their parents, they’ve been taught by their teachers — and they’ve got to learn to listen.”. My point for referencing this is to show that Racial Injustice is alive and well in our society and that it is a problem that needs to be addressed. I do believe we agree on some point you do state in your article, that you do see this issue with racial injustice in our society. You discuss your feelings on Martin Luther King and difference between his methods and BLM. I can clearly see your disgust for racial injustice and the was the BLM movement is handling it. With all this information in mind I hope to adjust your feelings on the Black Lives Matter Movement and I hope you see what progress is being made. Sincerely, Aaron Ward