Welcome to EandELM EACH & EVERY LIFE MATTERS
George Floyd’s life mattered. His murder matters. Why are people of color being killed if all lives matter?
#EandELM
About Us
Why Advocate for Black Lives Matter when ALL LIVES MATTER?
Each & Every Life Matters.
It’s obvious, right? THOU SHALT NOT KILL. Why, then, are some killers not held accountable?
The America we love to believe in is an IDEA, not yet a reality. LIBERTY & JUSTICE FOR ALL. When the list of Americans deprived of Liberty or Justice continues to grow and we do not take action, we are, by definition, unpatriotic. Failing to adhere to our constitutional ideals is a failure to Act American. How, then, can any of us wave our beloved country’s flag while news of egregious Unjustices flash across our screens?
ALL LIVES MATTER. When any human being is treated otherwise, we must stand up and say their names. When the human beings we’re crying out for share a common denominator, we must ask why. We must seek to understand
WHY the trend exists, and we are morally obligated to correct imbalances.
DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU.
What E&ELM Can Offer
Get Up to Speed
Summaries & links to current & recent events to help you understand WHY people are protesting NOW.
Historical Context
Summaries and links to help grasp the enormity of the history of racial prejudice in America.
If it seems overwhelming, you may come from a background similar to mine, where the American History I learned in school was very much a European American history. Sure, there was information about slavery, but it was oversimplified into Slavery, Emancipation, 60’s Civil Rights Movement. There were a few heroes thrown in— your Harriett Tubman, Frederick Douglas, Martin Luther King, Jr., even Malcolm X.
The things I was taught were selective and sparse; additionally, the nature of textbooks is explicatory & therefor impersonal. There is so much richness and pain and strength and beauty in the unfathomably enormous and complex tapestry of lives which mainstream culture understands only vaguely as “Black History” or ”The African American Experience.”
My goal is to build a portal which helps us to virtually “walk in their shoes” by first-hand narratives & contextual information, to gain perspective about what “African American Experience“ even means.
But...
Maybe you heard that the “real” problem is black-on-black violence. Maybe you believe that crime in urban neighborhoods is the fault of the “thugs” that choose that life eagerly. Maybe you think the American Dream —work hard and you will rise— works the same way for everyone born on US soil.
If you are invested in believing such common misperceptions, nothing you find here will change your mind. Any published truth can be dismessed as “radical left wing propaganda.” Unfortunately, the 45th President of the United States has said “FAKE NEWS” so many times, people don’t know who or what to believe.
Engaging in discourse that can genuinely grow your mind requires a fearlessness, an openness that can be emotionally difficult, because you might find out that some of what you took as universal truth turns out to be wrong. That isn’t your fault, and the discomfort means you’re growing. Just like an indiginous native living in a tribe isolated in the bushlands cannot be expected to know how to use a calculator, we are ALL products of our environment, on some level. That is, you cannot be expected to know or understand what you have neither been taught nor exposed to. You’re here now, you are opening yourself; go bravely on.
Take Action
What steps can you, as an individual, take to BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD?
VOTE WITH YOUR WALLET, Shop BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES. This site is hosted by GriotSites, a which I found by searching on https://www.supportblackowned.com/ . Find many more resources — from lists to easy apps — here.
DONATE TO THE CAUSE.
THINK ABOUT THE FUTURE. Donate to a Historically Black College or University. (HBCU). Not sure where to start? Beyond a list of schools, here is a list of accomplished people of color with the schools they attended, along with some quotes about their thoughts on education.
Glossary
Does engaging in conversation feel uncomfortable because sometimes you can’t even follow what people are saying? I promise all the confusing references are no big deal once you know what the acronyms & terms are referring to.
This is a Conversation
EandELM is meant to be an educational resource to facilitate conversation. Your input and suggestions about topics, links, other resources, or any comments on content are welcomed.
BE RESPECTFUL. This site exists because my heart hurt and I meditated on how I might make a difference. My intentions are loving & in harmony with all world religions‘ shared “Golden Rule”; DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU. If the lives of short middleaged christian women were being taken as if they didn’t matter, I pray you would stand up for me & my demographic.