A rolling out intern forwarded this message to the editor from a reader who chooses to remain anonymous as s/he provides some clarity about the dissension in the Black Lives Matters movement about as obvious as what we’re seeing in the Republican Party.
Below is the individuals’s op-ed:
“….in response to the Rolling Out article today on the Black Lives Matter movement in Atlanta://rollingout.com/2016/07/21/atlanta-black-lives-matter-disavows-worlds-sexiest-albino-sir-maejor-p….
One of the most significant concerns is how the entire article portrays the underlying conflict of BLM Atlanta versus BLM Greater Atlanta groups, as being divided based on the “leadership ethos”, at the National level. This premise would leave us with the stereotypical idea that as usual, we as Black people just cannot ever seem to work together, and leave others with the idea that they can exploit our divisions and hinder our progress.
In addition to that, anyone would have been pleasantly surprised with the impact that BLM Greater Atlanta has already made with regard to addressing the widely accepted BLM agenda of police reform and other oppressive legislation. Despite what BLM Atlanta has purported and has not yet achieved, BLM Greater Atlanta has enabled a conversation with police and government officials to address the issues.
So one would only have had to pull back the curtain, just a peek, to recognize the real divide here. That the national organizer of BLM, Alicia Gaza, founded it based on representing the needs of “Black trans and queer folks” and is apparently reluctant to negotiate any other legislative reforms without those issues being on the table first and foremost. So for BLM GREATER Atlanta to split from BLM Atlanta, in order to move forward on Black Lives justice reform, negotiate with more than willing police and government officials, without being restricted to just the LGBTQ agenda, this “leadership ethos” conflict appears to be a bit of a red herring.
BLM Greater Atlanta appears to support all organizations working collaboratively for legislative changes and understands that we all have different roles in this movement–not everyone can march, not everyone can execute economic activism in the same way or meet with government officials at the same time etc. Our goals should be inclusive of other affected groups like immigrants and LGBTQ. There is no need to attack other Civil Rights organizations or chapters, as we all have the same agenda of justice and equality for ALL people, INCLUDING the LGBTQ community.
It is important for media outlets to be thorough and investigative and to direct specific resources to reporting and to reporters, on these activist organizations’ agendas, directives, goals and progress. When we don’t know what is going on with them, we stay away or have no interest, and hand over control to other groups and individuals who don’t care and sometimes don’t even have the same agenda to accomplish these goals on our behalf.
Atlanta has always been ground zero for Civil Rights, justice and reform and should be the modelfor the rest of this nation through its multiple, very active activist and Civil Rights Organizations.”
